Mobile Suit Gundam 00: A Streak of Crimson
by Endymion MkIII
Summary: A chance granted, a grudge born. And a little bit of light as a gift. Nena Trinity's life has taken a turn for the worst but being plunged even deeper into a loss might be just what is needed for A Streak of Crimson to be born.
1. Losses

And now I'll begin this multichapter story centered around Nena Trinity, our beloved red-headed psycho from Gundam 00. I'll try to make weekly updates, as a matter of personal discipline. I have planned this to be around 26 chapters long, and episodic like an anime cour. Anyways, I truly hope it is to your liking, guys and without further ado, here it is...

**Mobile Suit Gundam 00: A Streak of Crimson**

* * *

**Chapter 1 - Losses**

"Johann, Michael..."

She felt a hole in her chest as she remembered. It wasn't supposed to happen like this, and perhaps almost as terrible as her brothers dying was the humilliation of being allowed to escape. She was most definitely not used to this feeling. Rage, loss, rage, sadness and mostly, rage. That man would pay and she'd make it painful.

"Revenge. Revenge." Purple Haro expressed her feelings. Her bitter tears clouded her vision and her clenched teeth her judgment. And in such state she didn't see it coming until it was too late.

It appeared like fate wasn't done with her just yet though, because a unit of mobile suits was zeroing in on her. With her reservoir of GN Particles almost depleted she knew it was pretty much a lost cause. But at least she'd go down fighting, she thought. "I'll be with you soon, Johann, Michael."

Nena reflected in that short moment that it was kind of a relief, to know she was seeing her brothers after this.

* * *

"Target on visual. Commencing mission." His notification got relayed to the rest of his unit. "Time to make the colonel proud!" He psyched himself up. He was sure the red Gundam units were faster than what the target was showing at the moment, and so he proceeded with caution. Were they lulling him into a sense of false security? "Be careful, boys, this guy has something up their sleeve, and I don't see the other two around. Surround him and keep your shields at the ready, the colonel will be disappointed in me if I lose a single one of you." Patrick ordered the squad he was assigned for this flash covert mission. They were to move fast, strike hard and go back home with the Gundam.

* * *

"They're almost on me. Haro, how much energy do we have left?" Nena prepared her last resort as she saw the damnable mobile suits surrounding her. "Less than 5%! Less than 5%!" Purple Haro informed. "That should...that should be enough, I suppose", resignation threatened to overwhelm her, but was quickly drowned by her pride. With a shake of her head, and her hand rubbing her tears away, she decided she'd at least take one of them down. "Johann, lend me your strength one last time. Michael, lend me your skill. Haro, direct all power to the GN Long Rifle! You fools are numerous, but my Throne Drei still has more range than you!" The targetting aid appeared on her interface, and she focused her sights on what appeared to be their leader, some sort of mockery of the Gundam units.

"This is the leader of Angel squad! Red Gundam, surrender your weapons and your mobile suit and you..." The rest of the message was ignored by Nena as she prepared herself to shoot her final shot. "GN Long Rifle! Ready to fire!" She announced to Haro. "Remaining particles set! Remaining particles set!" Haro finally notified her. With the resolution of a cornered soldier she pulled the trigger. "It's over for you!" She yelled as the beam let loose against the leading enemy mobile suit.

* * *

"...surrender your weapons and your mobile suit and you'll be spared. You will receive a fair trial before a martial court of law. I repeat - This is t...oh crap!" His message was cut short when Patrick saw the crimson GN particles gathering around the Red Gundam. He quickly put his shield up and braced. "Angel squad, spread out!" He ordered, and the deadly beam impacted against him. The power behind the shot was terrifying and after a mere 2 seconds it blasted off his mobile suit's arm, shield, and, thanks to his quick maneuvering, the suit's chest's right side. Avoiding total breakdown by his action, he proceeded to cut energy supply to that side of the suit. "The enemy mobile suit seems to have powered down, proceed with caution and capture it. We're heading back, squad." He commanded, and directed himself towards a nearby tiny island 200 kilometers away to assess the extent of the damage on his GN-X. "I thought I was a goner. I guess the colonel is sending a prayer my way!" He thought happily.

* * *

"Let go of me! Why aren't you shooting me down! Let GO!" Nena screamed in rage and frustration, her Throne Drei being taken captive by the lesser mobile suits. "No more energy! No more energy!" Purple Haro tried. "Why, why is this happening?! Big brother, M-Michael! I j-just, i just...!" She placed her head between her legs, her hand covering her face and sobbing uncontrollably. Her desperation at even failing to join her siblings taking her to the edge.

"Nena, calm down. Nena, calm down." Purple Haro tried again. As ascerbic as it was towards its charge, Purple Haro did care about her. And maybe it was a little worried she'd release her anger on it. All in all it looked grim, but not completely lost. At least they were still alive. Purple Haro just had to convince Nena that they'd have to bide their time now and strike once the time was ripe. Such was the advantage of surviving.

"Angel leader, this is Angel 3. The Red Gundam is under custody. We'll head back to base now." Patrick received over the comm. link as he landed his GN-X on the island. "Acknowledged, Angel 3. I'm assessing damage on my unit and then heading back as well. Tell colonel Mannequin I'll be back as soon as possible."

There had been a battle here by the look of things. The remains of one of the Red Gundams was scattered all over the place, the only thing that seemed salvageable was the huge Mega Launcher he saw it using on the briefings. "Angel 3, send over a retrieval squad to my location, I found the remains of another of the Red Gundams here. We might be able to salvage one of their weapons." he requested.

"Copy that, Angel leader", he got back as an answer. He finally took the water bottle from the GN-X's cockpit and got out to stretch his legs. "I think I got the gist of what happened here, now." He mused as he walked around the clearing on the island. The pieces of what appeared to be the leader suit of the Red Gundam squad were completely melted. A plate on the ground read 'Gundam Thrones Ein' which he assumed that was the unit's name.

Taking a drink from his water bottle, he sat down and raised his head towards the sky. "I can't believe I'm still alive..."

* * *

"Colonel, ma'am! Second Lieutenant Colasour, reporting for debriefing!" Patrick saluted Colonel Mannequin with a sharp motion and a huge smile. The colonel simply turned her head a bit in acknowledgement before looking into the interrogation room again.

"That the Red Gundam's pilot?" Patrick relaxed and looked into the interrogation room as well. "What the..." He stopped, frozen in place, when he saw the prisoner. The girl was dressed in her pilot suit, her red hair done in twintails, which only added to her youthful appearance. Her wrists were trapped by those pillory-like handcuffs. And then there was her face. Were it not for the dry tears, puffed-up red eyes and completely depressed expression, one could say she was beautiful. Now she just looked like a little, sad freckled girl.

"It's only a girl. She doesn't even seem of age. What were those terrorists thinking?" Colonel Mannequin thought out loud. She found it preposterous to toss children into war, no matter how she reflected such a thing was par for the course within terrorist organizations.

Patrick swallowed hard and stared at the girl. "To think I could have killed a child..." He said to himself. Then he recalled a piece of information from the briefing, "But wasn't her Red Gundam the one that...?"

"Indeed", Kati finally turned towards Patrick fully, her arms folded behind her in a sharp manner. "And that's the most chilling part of it all. To think they would make children engage in wanton acts of violence." She closed her eyes and sighed. "She has been completely silent since we took her out of her mobile suit. I suppose she's been made into a withdrawn and silent tool to better employ in their schemes. And even so she still had a round doll inside the cockpit. A truly dreadful organization." She judged and started walking out of the room adjunct to the interrogation room, with Patrick close on her heels.

"Well done on your mission, Lieutenant. The Gundam is in good condition, even if depleted of energy. While it was a stroke of luck I'm pleased to see the unit intact. And the remains of the one you found in that island should also be useful in HQ's research." Kati informed her subordinate while walking towards her office.

"Yes, colonel. Thank you, colonel." Patrick replied to Kati's evaluation in a formal, serious way. He really didn't feel sunny after seeing the prisoner was but a child.

Once they entered the colonel's office she sat down behind her desk and Patrick stood on attention in front of it. "Well then, let's hear it, lieutenant" She ordered Patrick to commence his report.

"Yes, Colonel. The enemy unit was spotted in the process of making its escape. The speed at which it was attempted was rather low, though. As I ordered the Angel squad to surround it and prepare to capture it, the enemy unit released an energy beam towards me. I managed to block it with my shield but the beam was strong enough to tear off my suit's right upper-side. After that, the enemy unit powered down and Angel squad was able to capture it with no further problems. After the capture, I stopped at a nearby island to assess the extent of the damage done to my suit, and that's where I found traces of fighting and the remains of the leader of the Red Gundam squad, which I presume is model name 'Gundam Thrones Ein', from a plate that was found in the wreckage. I also found a Mega Launcher Rifle, which seemed salvageable. That concludes my report, ma'am." Patrick finished and awaited the colonel's questions.

"Very well then, that will be all, lieutenant. Again, a job well done. You're dismissed." Kati finally said and opened her laptop to review the details about what the hangar team had found about the captured unit.

"Ma'am!" Patrick sharply saluted and exited the office.

"Gundam Thrones Drei, huh? And only fragments of the Thrones Ein unit were found. That only leaves the final unit unaccounted, which I assume is Gundam Thrones Zwei. The solar reactor's output is superior to the ones installed on the GN-X's units, but cannot recover energy as easily. That information should come in handy in case we find Thrones Zwei." She reflected and gathered her thoughts before writing up a summary of the events for her later perusal. After a couple hours had passed by her reckoning, she stretched and cracked her shoulders, before deciding it was high enough time to check back on their prisoner.

* * *

"How're you feeling?" Kati asked the prisoner while she sat down in front of her, a tray of untouched food being taken away by the ship's staff. The girl still wouldn't reply though. "You need to eat, you know? We can't have you dying on us, regardless of what you tell us or not tell us." She tried to encourage the girl.

Sighing at the silence, she placed her elbows on the desk in front of her and placed her clasped hands on it as well. "Look," She started. "By international law we can help you somehow if you tell us all you know about Celestial Being. Since you're a minor I'm sure some sort of arrangement can be made, pleading protection of some sort. We just need you to cooperate."

Kati waited for a bit, before leaning back on her chair and looking at the girl. She truly wasn't good with children, she thought. Maybe if she could contact Smirnoff...

"Why didn't you just kill me?" The girl finally said. Her gaze slowly went up and stared sadly at Kati. The colonel herself simply stared back impassively, then quickly tried to assume her most compassive face, or at least what she thought was a compassive face. She probably looked nothing of the sort, though, from the lack of reaction. "I don't wanna be here anymore. I just..." Tears started to well up on her eyes. Kati wondered if she meant the base, or perhaps she meant 'life' when she said 'here'.

She decided she'd let the girl sob away. Perhaps she'd talk a bit by herself in such an emotional stage. She also was stumped on what to tell a crying kid.

"My brothers are dead. Happy? That's what you wanted to know, right? The Trinity team is finished and I couldn't even join them! Just punish me already!" The girl finally screamed at Kati, snot and tears making a further mess of her face. "Just kill me already..." She begged, and pressed her hands to her face.

'Well, there's the final fate of Zwei, I suppose', Kati thought. The girl's brothers apparently made her escape while they faced god-knows what. She reflected that at least those terrorists made the siblings into a team, but she wasn't sure if it was better or worse. They were probably orphans, she dared to guess.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Kati tried. She did feel sorry for the girl's losses. Even if it didn't make it better, she hoped her brothers were at least older. She didn't like thinking of kids dying in wars.

The girl simply continued sobbing, so Kati tried again. "What were their names?" She asked, attempting the small talk approach.

Surprisingly, that worked in a way, making the girl talk again. "Johann and, and M-michael." She replied. "The best brothers one could ask for." Perhaps from the defenseless state of mind she was in, the girl finally gave her name. "And I'm Nena. Nena T-trinity."

'We're finally getting somewhere' Kati allowed herself a little success, so she gambled on the small talk approach. "It's a pretty name, Nena." She praised her.

"Thank you." Nena replied, calming a bit. Perhaps she was already tired, Kati guessed. She decided to ride on her success.

"How old are you. Nena?"

"I'm 17."

'I knew she was a child' The colonel reflected. She waited a bit, then remembered something from when her aunt took care of her cousins that might work, given the circumstances. "Are you hungry now, Nena?"

A growl that came from Nena's stomach gave her the answer. "Maybe a little..." She replied, a bit of crimson on her cheeks.

"Can you bring us something to eat? Yes, for me as well." Kati asked the staff through the intercom. "I'm hungry. too, I've been working all day." She justified herself to Nena. Eating with someone helped develop connections, or so she recalled.

They ate together, in silence. Once they were done, the staff removed the plates and Kati served Nena some black tea.

"Thank you." Nena said as she received the cup from Kati. Absentmindedly she put some cream on her tea. "I'm tired, I guess. I don't even really care. If they threatened me with death for revealing what I know I think I'd receive it gladly." The colonel remained silent while she sipped on her tea. The gamble had seemed to pay off and now the girl was more willing to talk. "What do you want to know?", Nena said as she placed a third sugar cube in her tea.

"Let's start with their hiding place." Kati asked.

"All I know is that their ship, the Ptolomaios, tends to stay in space and on the move. They use their GN Particles to cloak up, so they won't show up on visual. But you probably already knew that." She replied and put a sixth sugar cube in her tea.

'Kid really likes her sugar...' Kati thought with slight disgust. So much sugar destroyed the point of tea in her opinion. "So they should be in space right now. We're aware of the four Gundam units that usually stage armed interventions. Do you know if they have any other suits?"

"They probably do, but that much I wouldn't know. Celestial Being works in cells, so to speak. What one cell knows might not be what another one does. But something tells me you already knew that as well."

"Indeed. But most of it was merely speculation, your information will help us decide after all. What about leadership? Who gave you your orders?"

"Some man called Laguna. He's dead now." She replied and blew on her tea. Still too hot, her scowl said.

"Anyone else involved in the organization that you can inform me of?" Kati asked again.

"We only ever contacted that man and the Ptolomaios team. If you got them all noted down then that's it, as far as I know. I don't really know about who gave the other team orders."

"Very well, Nena. Thank you. I will most likely have more questions soon, if you keep cooperating we can probably work something out." Kati said as she finished her tea. Standing up, she started making her way out of the cell.

"Wait." Nena called. "Can I have Haro back? The purple, spheroid robot that was in my suit's cockpit." She pleaded.

"I'll ask. It seems it has some information we could use. But I don't think it will be that much of a problem after that." Kati replied. The girl seemed to behave better if one was kind towards her, she reflected.

"Thank you." Nena said, then sat on the cell's bed, her expression still dejected.

As Kati reached the cell's door, she turned around towards Nena. "I didn't know them, but, if you'll allow me to say, I think the fact that you're here alive is quite the proof of your siblings' love. They gifted you with another chance, Nena. Don't waste it."

The girl just turned around, facing the wall and lying down in bed.

* * *

As always, your comments and criticisms are very much appreciated. See you next week!


	2. Judgment and Sin and Punishment

Well then, here we go with chapter 2 of our story. Apologies for the 1 day delay for this chapter, I caught a damn cold. Good way to start a compromise, huh? Anyways, I hope you enjoy the show!

* * *

Chapter 2 - Judgment and Sin and Punishment

"All rise."

The court hall felt cold to Nena. She was wearing those uncomfortable handcuffs and an ugly, to her taste, prisoner's outfit. Black is such a boring color. She rose from her seat when that serious uniformed guy ordered, then seated again as the military old men got seated on the front, facing her.  
She decided trials were dreadful affairs.

"We'll begin the trial of prisoner Nena Trinity. She stands accused of 10 different charges of terrorism and 3 charges of sabotage. The accused has pleaded guilty in the preferrence trial and as such is awaiting the court's decision."

Nena had been told that pleading guilty would help her case. Since she didn't really care in the end she just went along with it, so the proceedings sounded like something completely alien to her. She turned to the back to where that Kati lady was sitting. Nena supposed she had been decent, even if just to get information from her. She quickly turned back around when one of the stuffy old military men called her name.

"Miss Trinity, the charges for terrorism are rather severe. Being over 15 means you're still held under certain resposibility, but the fact that you're still a minor helps you. Reviewing the facts on the charges we can see that it was indeed you who attacked that civilian event in Spain. Such an act would warrant a capital punishment, were you an adult. However, and as mentioned, your status as a minor helps you avoid that fate. Furthermore, the information you have given us regarding the terrorist organization 'Celestial Being' which lead to its eventual capture helps your case as well."

The old man took his glasses off after putting the papers of her case down, then he stared right at Nena. Her tiredness made her barely hold the stare in attention. She wasn't sure if she was glad for avoiding death. Since she was at the mercy of these people, revenge seemed like a far off option now.

"Miss Trinity, in this war-torn world we've seen many, many cases like yours. It is not the first time a child-soldier engages in acts of civilian murder on the scale of yours, only the means were uncommon. But your circumstances tell us you simply didn't know any better, your upbringing as a tool of terrorism is a situation we're familiar with. Indeed, it'd be easy to simply accuse you of mass murder and bring justice to whoever remains to grudge you."

She wondered why the man had stopped. She really had felt nothing at murdering those silly peoples at that party so she had expected they'd punish her with that one. Maybe she was supposed to plead here?

"But it is also our responsibility as adults to try and repair what we can, from involving children on war. Even though it wasn't ourselves who made you join the terrorist organization, it will be us who will try and make you realize there's more than murder and death to be found in this world. I will now pronounce your sentence."

Nena was just utterly confused now, she couldn't understand what the old man was going on about. She felt like shouting to just condemn her to death already, but it seemed like they'd just lock her up or whatever.

"Nena Trinity, after deliberation, evidence review and under article 35, section 20 of the martial penal code regarding child soldiers and the rulings thereby, you are sentenced to 5 years of rehabilitation, under close supervision by this martial court, subject to yearly reviews of your mental state and every two years afterwards as precaution. You shall also be placed under the care of a member of the military, appointed by this court at a later date, no later than 3 days hence. Court is adjourned."

The gavel's slam startled Nena after hearing her sentence. So they decided she was crazy and had to go under brain...bleaching to fix her. She wasn't sure if they were stupid or naïve. Maybe both. In any case, it seemed that at least 5 years of deathly dullness awaited her.  
On second thought, she supposed this was worse than death after all.

* * *

Patrick decided this was the most ludicrous order he had ever received, even more ridiculous than that one a couple years ago, when his sergeant ordered him to walk his dogs, back when he was a freshly graduated officer. Or that one when he was ordered to waiter it up at that general's party in Sicily. He just didn't understand why they'd use a genius like him for such assignments.

But he would have gladly done all those thrice again if it meant not doing this one.

"I'm sorry, Colonel, but I'm not sure I'm qualified for this order." He pleaded to Colonel Mannequin.

"Actually, I can't think of a better person for this assignment, lieutenant." His colonel sentenced. She was standing right next to that freckles kid. For christ-sake, she was even holding her purple toy.

"Colonel, I really have no experience taking care of kids." He pleaded once more.

"Hey, I'm not that young of a kid! And I don't like it either, but you should feel honored to be around someone like me!" The freckled twerp yelled at him. "You can't be more than 4 years older!"

"I'm more than 10 years older than you, you squirt!" He finally lost it. He was an experienced, wordly man, damn it!

"What did you just call me?! Do you have a death wish, huh?!" The kid came closer to him, staring him up nose to nose and growling.

"Fight time! Fight time!", Purple Haro helpfully added.

"Enough!". Colonel Mannequin shouted. "I tire of this childish charade! Lieutenant, you will obey and you will do so to your very best, this is not up to discussion. Clearly I have been very lenient lately towards you after your return, for you to entertain defying such an order from your superior." She pulled this Nena kid back as the damnable twerp kept growling and staring, holding her doll in one arm while placing her hands on her hips. The nerve!

But still he was cowed by his beloved colonel. "Y-yes, Colonel! As you say, Colonel!" He quickly saluted and stood sharply.

"And you, Nena, calm down already. He's not as bad as he seems, you'll be fine." She placed a hand on Nena's shoulder. "I'll be making routinary visits to lieutenant Colasour's house to check up on you." She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "On both of you."

"Tch." Was all that Nena said, her head turning to the side and scowling.

Patrick had to admit that this particular situation's silver lining was magnificent, though. He barely contained the excitement at the prospect of being visited by the colonel regularly.

* * *

"Well, come on in, I guess." He said, resignated. He stood at the entrance, with an arm extended towards the inside of the apartment.

Nena entered without even looking at him, her backpack bouncing as she walked, gathering on the surroundings. She looked at the garish decorations, a white dog statue, some medals on top of an armoire, and...was that a mobile suit's model kit? Wasn't this guy allegedly like 27?

"What a dumpster..." She continued onwards. "Hurts my eyes! Hurts my eyes!" The damnable purple toy opined. Patrick had to rein himself not to blow up again.

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Come with me, I'm showing you where you're gonna crash." Patrick said, annoyed, and started walking up the stairs on the left. Nena soon followed.

"This is it. I was using this room for guests but now it'll be yours while you live with me. You can use that bathroom over there." He pointed to the door at the end of the hallway. "And you can write what you need at the pad stuck to the fridge. They just send the stuff over when one hits 'Send'. And don't bother about hitting 'Send' at whatever time, it only works with my ID signature." He warned.

"Jeez, I wasn't going to..." Nena muttered to herself as she walked into her new room, placed Haro on the table, then tossed her backpack on the bed. Patrick simply stood on the doorway, as if he was gathering his courage. She turned to him once she realized he was just standing there. "What?" She asked as she crossed her arms.

He simply took a deep breath then managed to put his thoughts in order. Someone had to be the grownup here. "Look." He started. "I know you don't wanna be here, and to be honest it feels awkward for me as well. But the Colonel never does anything without a reason, so we're stuck with each other, for now. Why don't we try to at least be civil to each other?" He said as he extended his hand towards her.

Nena simply stared at him, then at the hand. To be honest with herself, she couldn't find it in her to be polite or whatever. On the other hand it'd get real tiring, real fast if they kept it up. Just as his arm started feeling uncomfortable, she shook his hand. "Fine, whatever. No promises, though". She conceded. He celebrated inside his head, surely the colonel would appreciate it.

"Alright then, if you need something else, just holler. My room is down the hall to the left. Can't miss it." He informed her, then turned around to exit the room. He paused, then said without turning. "Uh...welcome to your new home." Then quickly exited.

Nena remained standing, arms crossed, reflecting on that notion. "New home, huh?" She thought. She sat on the bed and rested her elbows on her legs. "It's not home without my brothers."

A few minutes later, Patrick opened the door to Nena's room, he had forgotten to tell her about her psychologist sessions, which were required by the court. "Ah, Nena, by the way, your first sess-" He froze instantly as he saw Nena on her pink underwear, in the middle of changing her clothes to sleep. What seemed like an eternity passed, both stared at each other.

"OHMYGODGETOUTGETOUTGETOUTPERVERT!" She screamed, then tossed her backpack, the pillow, and even Purple Haro with unnatural strength as she covered what was left of her decency. They all impacted straight on his face with unnerring accuracy. The impacts pushed him out and knocked him into the hallway's floor. "Idiot! Pervert!" She screamed once more, as she slammed the door shut.

"I guess that's one way to break the ice..." He ruefully shared with Purple Haro who was next to him, laying for a bit on the cold floor before he stood up and went to his room to clean the injuries that Haro's impact made on his face.

"So violent. So violent."

* * *

"What's the story behind that purple eye?" Kati questioned her subordinate. While he was a bit...disperse, he wasn't known as clumsy. In a way she already had her suspicions about the cause but she wanted to confirm.

"It was an acc-" Patrick froze mid-sentence when the colonel sharpened her gaze, in a way that said 'I won't tolerate lies'. "Nena tossed her toy to my face..."

"And why, pray tell, would she do that?"

"It was an accident! For real this time!" He defended himself as he repeated his first sentence, but now with a different meaning. "I'm not used to having guests so I didn't knock!"

She could hardly believe it, was this some sort of comedy she was unaware of? "...you're telling me you walked on her changing clothes?"

He simply turned to the side, still standing in attention.

A sigh escaped her lips. "Don't let it happen again. Now follow me, I have an assignment for you today." She rose from her seat and walked out of her office, closely followed by Patrick. Without turning around she briefed him. "We're beginning tests on the Throne Drei. It's capabilities are much superior to the GN-X, but we still need some flight and mobility data, so we're using you as a test pilot for today."

"Ma'am, with all due respect, but what about our actual test pilots?"

"They didn't cut it. And as loathe as I am to divert my combat pilots for this, we need one with sharper senses on this one." She lifted her ID Card to the reader, and the hangar's door opened. "The tests will be conducted through the whole day. Will Nena be ok by herself?"

"Yeah, when I left she was watching TV and eating snacks. I suppose a life of normalcy is doing her a world of good, without having to worry about war and murder. She's mostly either sullen or snarky, but if one thinks about it, what teenager ain't like that? Seriously, it's like having a younger sister."

"I'll go check up on her on my lunch break." She stopped before the Throne Drei, then turned around. "I know you're on your R&amp;R, now that things are pretty much peaceful without Celestial Being, but we need to get more information from this suit and I couldn't think of anyone better. Do not disappoint me, lieutenant. Now go change and report to the Chief Engineer once you're ready."

Patrick exulted in the praise and saluted his beloved colonel as sharply as possible. "Yes ma'am! Right away ma'am", then he ran away towards the pilot's lockers.

"Chief Moretti, regarding the mobile suit's specifications, what's your forecast on today's test pilot performance?" Kati asked the Chief Engineer as Patrick went away running.

A man on his early forties, Luigi Moretti was a tanned, muscular man, with a trimmed moustache and a square jaw. His eyes spoke of experience and confidence, as did his mannerisms. He was wearing the standard issue maroon worksuit his crew was also wearing. "To be honest, ma'am, I don't think a regular pilot would cut it, even someone with as much experience as lieutenant Colasour. From the preeliminary data analysis and past test pilots results, this thing needs nothing short of a genius to even move as it should. On the hands of our guys, it's nothing more than a glorified workbot." He replied, then shouted for one of his subordinates to give him the specs pad. "Look at this. It seems that on top of the genius level piloting skills, it requires some sort of interface with an external operative system, some sort of client/server deal going on. I can only imagine what for and I have no idea what kind of server connects to this thing. We're gonna get nowhere if we don't find answers and my guys are at their wits end." The chief engineer provided.

"I've been thinking about a solution to that already but we'll need for our final piece to be ready before that."

The chief fully turned towards Kati and spoke in a lower voice "You mean the kid that was piloting this suit, huh?"

Kati took off her glasses, rubbed her eyelids and drew a long breath. "We can't involve a minor on this, as you know. but she won't be a minor forever. While they still don't intend to involve her any further in armed conflicts, the higher ups recognize the need to consult her on this one. As far as I'm concerned, if that's what it takes to further bring peace, then so be it. God knows this peace is balanced on fear-spawned pacts and treaties. Not everyone's going to fall back and accept the new order of things. We need to be prepared." Kati sentenced as she stared at the mobile suit in question.

Luigi looked up at the suit as well, in resignation. "This sure is a crazy situation we're in. But you've always known better, colonel. We'll keep doing our best."

She put a hand on his shoulder. "I appreciate your efforts, chief. And your crew's. We all do."

* * *

"How're you feeling, Nena?" The funny old lady asked her. Or is it kindly? Nena wasn't sure, she supposed the common term would be kindly, what with this woman being like 50-plus years old, and her woolen sweater/long skirt combination wasn't helping her case. Nena rested her chin on her palm, at least the seat was comfy, she reflected.

Man, this lady was patient, though.

"Fine, I guess. Bored?"

"I see. What is it that has you bored?" The kindly-funny lady asked as she smiled her kindly-funny smile.

"Life, I suppose." Why was she taking notes? "The house is boring. TV is boring. And this damn city is boring." Oh right, the lady's supposed to fix her crazyness, she supposed all these notes would help her decide on the medication or whatever.

"Where have you been to in the city, Nena?" A kindly smile, again.

"Uh..." Nena reminisced. "The base, the park." Stupid kids and stupid dogs. "The library, the corner store. Fine, I haven't been out too much." She conceded.

"You mentioned the library. Do you like to read?"

"Yeah"

"What do you like to read, Nena? Any genre in particular?" The lady put her pad on the table to her left, then her hands on her lap.

Nena changed palms, turned to the window to look at the tree's leaves swaying softly to the wind. "Computer software stuff. History novels. Trashy romance novels." She turned her eyes back to the lady.

"Oh! And what was the last book you read?" Funnykind leaned forward.

"Hmm. A book about artificial synapse coordination and its mobile suit application. No wait, that was the -last- last one. Uh, something about Alexander the Great. Wasn't bad." It was a really good book.

"Very nice." The lady took her pad back and scribbled some more. Nena realized she had made her talk about something interesting to herself. Damn sneaky lady. Sneaky-kind.

"Nena, have you considered taking classes? Going to school?" The lady suddenly said and looked straight at her.

"What? What for?"

"Well, if you're bored, occupying yourself with learning could help with it. Besides." She put the pad down and paused. "The state won't take care of you forever, you will need to have means to sustain yourself."

Nena scoffed at that. "I don't need to study for that, I can totally work on mobile suit development or something. I know I'm qualified." She turned her gaze back to the outside.

"Interesting. But you don't have a degree to back it up, do you? Most employers, even in the military, require it." The lady smiled her sneaky smile. "Consider it while we have our next session. It wouldn't necessarily be in the immediate future but I'd like you to think about it. There are many, many possibilities, many paths an intelligent woman such as you can follow." She paused as if waiting for Nena's reply.

So she turned her gaze back to the lady. "Alright, I'll think about it." To be honest the idea wasn't entirely off-putting. She did enjoy working on mobile suits, piloting them, killing on them, whatever. It made her feel alive, in control. She supposed they wouldn't let her kill on them anytime soon though, so the next best thing would be development.

She did have some people on her debtors tab after all, she had to plan for the future.

* * *

Needless to say, this one and for a few chapters onwards it's gonna take place on what would be between season 1 and season 2 of the original series. Again, any comments, criticism or even just to say "hi" is greatly appreciated. See ya next time!


	3. To advance

Here we are, chapter 3, my dear readers. I'd like to take a moment to thank my 2 reviewers so far, northernlion196 and RebornExile. I appreciate the criticism very much and will apply your suggestions from this point forward. Hopefully I'll find the time to fix the previous two chapters later on. Well then, on with the show!

* * *

Chapter 3 - To advance

Dinner was a much livelier affair in the Colasour home when the colonel was visiting, or at least it felt that way to Patrick. She had told him before that for all of his shortcomings he really knew his way around a kitchen at least. So he did his very best whenever she dropped by to please her. The fact that the twerp complained much less on such ocasions also made the colonel's visits all the better.

"It still keeps shocking me to know you can actually cook. This is pretty good." The aforementioned twerp said with a mouthful of lemon-cream salmon. Even after all this time she still snarked at him at any possible opportunity.

"Nena, please do not talk while chewing. It's disgusting." The colonel chastised her.

"Yes, mooooooom..." Nena countered, but obeyed nonetheless.

"So on my last session, doctor Schmidt helped me realize I need some sort of closure regarding my brothers." She suddenly pulled out of nowhere, without turning her eyes from the food. "I was wondering if you'd help me with that, guys", she finished, and waited.

"And how can we help you, Nena?" The colonel replied, while Patrick simply kept eating and looking to each woman in turn.

"I heard funerals without the body present are a thing, so...yeah." She finally lifted her eyes towards Kati, expectant.

Kati wiped her mouth in a proper way, placed her hands on the table. She sipped her wine, then decided. "Very well, I really don't see a problem, it should be doable. Lieutenant, do investigate about the necessary steps to make it happen, please."

Patrick quickly wiped his mouth and swallowed. "Yes, Colonel, you can count on me!" He assured her.

"I also thought about something else, from the therapy. I wanna get a degree in Nanomechanics and Quantum Computing." She dropped the second one, which actually shocked Kati and made Patrick choke on his wine.

"Those are some rather interesting fields of study. Very wide fields of application." Once she recovered, Kati encouraged Nena's interest, even when it was rather...odd how it all seemed to go in the right direction for the plans they had for the Drei's former pilot. "Would you be ok with the military college or did you have any other in particular?" The instruction from her superiors had been to keep her as close as possible and under constant vigilance. As unorthodox as it was to have a former terrorist in a military college, she guessed the necessary people would be convinced, one way or the other.

"Nah, that one should be fine. It's just for the degree and then the license to work on the field. I've been made aware of the fact that I won't live on the government's money forever." She said, and then added. "Besides, that way I'll be closer to the object of my interest: mobile suits. What better place than one close to where MS development is the focus?" She just stared at Kati while taking another bite and chewing on the fish.

"Certainly, I see your point. Then I will look into that one myself. I will also have to consult the judge about it, I hope you understand."

"Sure, no prob. It's not like I do a lot of anything else so I'm cool with waiting." Nena assured Kati and then drank some water. "Well then! Thanks for the meal, Patters! I'll leave you guys to your little date, I'll be in my room. Later!" She stood up to leave her empty plate on the dishwasher then left them as she had said.

"...Patters?" Kati questioned.

"Eh...we've been living together for almost a year already, we've established some sort of roomies' relationship. She's Nenners." 'Patters' replied.

"I have to admit I'm surprised she warmed up to you like that. She's not as sullen as before."

"Such is the Colasour charm!" Patrick pointed at himself with his thumbs, grinning.

"I can see that." She smirked, amused. "I'm glad to see I was right to leave her with you. Seems like therapy has worked quite well, although..." She hesitated. Was she right about her suspicions?

"Something wrong, Colonel?" He inquired, worried, while bringing his wine glass to his lips.

"No, it's nothing, perhaps I'm simply being paranoid." Maybe the young woman just needed some stability to normalize her life. If it helped Kati towards their plans then so be it, she'd take it. Nena's 18th birthday was coming close and then she'd be able to propose for her to help with analysis on the Throne Drei.

* * *

Nena turned on her computer, a gift from Kati. As nice as she was being to her, she could see the signs, she had stopped being na ve a long time ago. They wanted something out of her. She supposed it wouldn't hurt to go along since it aligned itself with her own plans. She'd play the good girl role, get the simpleton's trust as well, get herself ready access to her Throne Drei and resources to develop an even better machine. She'd then find out where that bastard was hiding and then...

The computer's screen shone on Nena's face, as she awoke from her stupor. She entered her queue and read the news about how the world was coming together now to form a worldwide federation, and she allowed herself a small bit of bitter satisfaction at seeing the whole point of Celestial Being coming to fruition. "We got what we wanted, brothers." She thought to herself. "But i'm not quite done yet myself."

An idea formed in her head, why hadn't she thought about it before? She prepared herself to establish a connection and then...she stopped, what if they were monitoring Veda? Had the military found out about it? She decided instead to turn around and ask her purple companion. "Uh, Haro? Do you still have a link to Veda, by any chance? Don't start it up, just tell me."

"Yes, always available! Yes always available!" The Haro quickly informed her.

"That should come in handy." She mused. "But I wonder what will happen with Veda now? After debating with herself for a while she decided. "Welp, nothing risked, nothing gained." If she wasn't the one connecting then it should be fine, she hoped. "Celestial Being is done, I got access to a supercomputer server and there's no one who can stop me. Seriously, why didn't I think about this before?" She celebrated, then extended her hands to grab Haro. "Ok pal, I'm gonna use you as a client to process some inquiries with Veda, let's hook you up to my computer."

"Right away! Right away!" Haro opened its arms, floated towards Nena's computer and tossed a wireless SNW connection to it. And then it requested a session with Veda.

* * *

It appeared strange to Regene Regetta to see an inquiry being made to Veda in that precise moment. There should be absolutely no one except for other Innovades capable to establish connections with it after all. And then he saw the client's ID, Haro unit 3347-HJP, the unit assigned to Team Trinity as he recalled. This would most definitely be very interesting.  
He ordered Veda to file the requests under his private drive.

* * *

"Let's see here...Veda, tell me what happened to the four main Gundam units." She thought as she wrote the inquiry.

A volume of files appeared on the Veda interface and she went through each one in turn. She kept a note to try and get her hands on the Kyrios unit data in the future, the only one the Federation's military had managed to capture. "I've never felt as focused as now...", she reflected, then she noted the details about the final fate of unit Dynames. She read the unit and the pilot that had done the deed. And re-read it. That bastard had done this one too, it seemed. She decided this information could be very useful in the future.

Every bit of information provided her with something useful, she took more and more notes. And then she requested information about the accursed Al-Saachez. "...what?" She did a double take. Missing in Action? Where the hell had he disappeared to that he could evade Veda? This was most frustrating and infuriating, so she slammed the desk. Then taking a deep breath she reflected, at least he was probably still alive. She'd have her revenge yet. But that still begged the question: -where- was Gundam Throne Zwei, then? She got her answer right away after she asked Veda.

"They have Michael's suit as well, huh?", she made yet another mental note, to get her hands on her brother's Gundam in the future.

After getting her inmediate queries solved, she went and requested miscellaneous information about MS specs that only Veda-approved users had access to. It would come in handy, of that she was certain. She bopped Haro playfully, this session had been rather fruitful.

As Haro brought its hands to where Nena had bopped it she closed the connection to Veda. "Haro, we're done for now. End the session, buddy."

"Session closed! Session closed!", it notified it's user, then stored it's arms and bounced to Nena's bed. Seeing her purple companion roll around on her bed made her realize she was rather tired now, so she prepared herself for sleeping. She was now much closer to her immediate goals.

* * *

A couple knocks shook Nena out of her reverie. She was already lying in bed, reading a book before sleeping, so the light was on. She supposed she couldn't quite blame the doofus if he guessed she was still up. So she rose and opened the door.

"'Sup?" She asked.

"Can I come in, Nenners?" Patrick tried.

"Sure." was her reply and she offered the desk's comfy chair as she sat on her bed.

"I dunno how to say it so I'll just say as it goes. You don't need to, like, hurry up and get out of the house anyday in the future." He said all of a sudden. And she really didn't know what to say to that. So they sat there for a while, her gaze trained on him but lost, his expectant and nervous.  
He tried again, "I mean, yeah, the government won't pay for you forever but...I mean we've been already living together for a while. Man I suck at this." he reflected.

"Are you proposing to me or something?" She blurted out.

"What?! Dude, no, what the hell?! You're like my little sister!" He yelled, alarmed.

Nena would reflect that, after learning a bit more about Patrick's past, this was the moment when they really started becoming a family. She really never, ever expected to find somewhere she'd belong after losing Johann and Michael. She had already accepted she'd live her life alone, never making any connections with people. She wondered if that was the therapy or something brainwashing her. Maybe she just also looked for someone to trust.

"I do like working on Mobile Suits, you know? Jeez, stop being so corny." Nena tried to hide her embarrasment behind a facade. She was definitely -not- expecting this. A small part of her said this was also part of the plan to get her to trust them but was quickly squashed when she remembered this was Patrick she was talking about. She turned to the side, a blush creeping into her cheeks. "You'll still be stuck with me for a while, I guess we'll see what you think after that." She hesitated, then added. "Uh...thanks, Patrick. For that and, um, everything so far."

He simply ruffled her hair, which earned him a 'HEY!' from her, smiled, then left the room. It'd take Nena a while to go to bed, with conflicting feelings inside of her.

* * *

A month passed since Nena told Kati about her intent to get a degree, so she found herself in the Brussel's Military College's Dean of Engineering's office. She was actually wearing a blazer and a pencil skirt, which Kati had gotten for her. She felt at the same time both uncomfortable yet mature, professional yet stuffy. It seemed sometimes her life had become a series of conflicting situations.

The dean re-read Nena's file, lifted his gaze towards her, smiled, then kept reading. Nena smiled back, and kept staring at nothing in particular. What were the higher ups thinking? While he couldn't deny a direct order from the headmaster, the prospect of having a former criminal in his academy was unsettling, to put it mildly. "So, Miss Trinity," at this she visibly sat a little bit straighter, "tell me what's your reason for joining us in the academy."

'To take revenge on my brothers' murderer' she thought. "Mobile Suit development has always been fascinating to me. In my time as a pilot I always enjoyed the feeling of freedom behind the controls, and to give maintenance to my Mobile Suit after that. As I'm not allowed near a combat Mobile Suit for the time being, development is my goal now."

"Ah yes, I'm aware of your story." The court had assured him the Trinity girl was 'sane' enough to interact with other students, according to her progress in therapy. He had his reservations but he figured that she'd be in a military college, instead of a civilian one. Her peers would be surrounded by security in the end. "I'm sure it'll be quite fine in that regard. I've read your dissertation on solar particles and the improvements on the TAU Drive you propose are fascinating. I have to admit it is already post-graduate quality work." And it was. If anything, this was the girl's saving grace and the one reason he used to convince himself enough. "As such, I propose we first perform an evaluation, it might help you achieve your goal that much faster."

'Score, team Nena, with a little help of Veda.' She thought for a moment, a smile betraying her thoughts. She allowed herself at least that much since it would be the natural response anyways, even if not for the same reasons. "I would love to take the examination, thank you."

"Well, then that just leaves one more thing: what are your plans after obtaining your degree, Miss Trinity?"

"I plan to further my studies and obtain a doctorate in mobile suit advanced aerodynamics, and another one in nanocarbon-synapse quantum computer architecture. I have certain ideas regarding the development of a new machine and I'll need knowledge on those two specializations. I'd like to be involved in every step of the process." 'And then kill Ali Al-Saachez with that machine' but the dean didn't need to know that. She smiled a little smile with her eyes closed. Charming mode, engaged.

'Just who is this girl?' the dean thought alarmed, managing to keep himself composed. "Why, those are some rather ambitious plans, indeed, in very deed! It is very refreshing to see a youngster so decided and focused. And brilliant! I expect great things from you, Miss Trinity. With the pending considerations and protocols, I do believe you're very welcome then, to join us here at the Brussels Military Academy!", the dean rose, and extended his hand towards Nena. He just hoped it'd be alright.

She shook it with her smile intact. "Thank you, dean. I won't disappoint."

* * *

"Dude, I could've totally come without you for this." Nena complained to Patrick. She was wearing some sort of camouflage stamp baggy pants, a tight fitting black shirt covered by a maroon jacket, military-like boots and a brown beanie. She called it her 'undercover duds', even sticking as much of her long, crimson hair as possible under the beanie.

Patrick on the other hand had just gotten out from his duties at the base, so he was wearing his traditional blue uniform. "Well, I need some relax time too. I have to wonder what went through my head when that plan included you, tho'..."

"Bite me." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"I have a better idea. Let's bite some icecream." He attempted to pacify her.

"Oh boy, I could totally go for some icecream right now!" She forgot everything about her snarkiness at the prospect of frozen goodness.

As they sat to enjoy their icy treat, she started listing the stuff they needed to get. "So imma need an electronic notepad for school. Wish I could take Haro but I don't think they'll appreciate a classmate carrying a toy with her. Man, I will need a lot of clothes as well, so we'll have to do a full tour."

"It's military college, you'll have to wear the officer's uniform, you dummy." Patrick told her.

"Whaaaaaaat?" She lamented. "That totally sucks! Wait, the officer's uniform? I'm gonna have to wear the same thing Kati does?!"

"Yup." He replied, then licked his icecream.

"Talk about a letdown..." She lamented again, then took a big bite out of her icecream. "Well, I guess there goes my whole day's plans, then."

"They're very into discipline at the college, Nena. I don't think it's gonna be quite like you think it'll be." He warned her, as he thought he should. He didn't want her to go with false expectations to a place where such thing could get her punished.

"Stop raining on my parade, man. I know that." Ok, maybe she didn't know exactly how strict they'd be, but she couldn't help but be excited. She didn't interact with people her age at all. She could only remember the guys at Celestial Being besides her brothers and that made her kida sad.

Perhaps perceiving her quickly diminishing mood, he spoke up. "Ok ok, sorry! Hey! I heard they're featuring a new movie today at the cinema. Wanna go catch it?"

Dejected, she just answered. "Meh. I'd rather just go get the notepad then call it a day, now." She wiped her mouth with the icecream cone's napkin then tossed it to the trashbin.

"It's about badass martial artists doing badass gunkatas..." He let the bait sink in the pond of Nena's attention.

She bit immediately. "Really?! I mean...I guess I could tag along, if you're that desperate to hang around." She tried to recover some of her decorum.

"Nothing would please me more, m'lady." He bowed, extending his hand towards Nena, the remainders of his cone on the other.

"Ugh! You're so sneaky." She took his hand.

* * *

For some reason whenever Nena speaks I hear Persona 4's Rise Kujikawa's voice...

Anyways, as always, your comments and suggestions are very much appreciated. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I've enjoyed writing it. See you next time!


	4. Opportunities

Monday means more "A Streak of Crimson"! So here we are! Again, thanks for the reads and for the reviews. Even if i'll keep going at it even if I never get more reads and reviews than the ones I've gotten so far, it does me a world of good to receive your comments. But anyways, let's make way for what we came here.

* * *

**Chapter 4 - Opportunities**

"Hello, brother. Michael. I'm here again. It still feels weird to talk to you like this, knowing your bodies aren't even here, but I have to admit it helps. It does help a bit." Nena knelt before her two brothers' grave markers at the cemetery. The sunny skies framed her monthly ritual, and in a way it fit. She had good news after all.

"I've been getting along with Patrick, y'know? That dumbass I told you about a while ago. He's kinda stupid, but...kind. He sometimes feels like..." She stopped, turned around to see where Patrick was waiting, leaning against his car, playing with some sort of portable game console. "...heh. He sometimes feels like you guys, just in idiot. At least I don't feel so alone anymore."

She put a flower on each grave. "I'm starting classes this January. I took a test to see where they could put me, and I really, really thought I'd be able to just blaze through with Veda's help right into a degree. Turns out there's more to MS development than just sticking some lines of code and letting the computer do the rest, who would've thought? Anyways, at least I'm not starting from the beginning, seems I scored enough to finish in a year from now. I've also been progressing with Ms. Schmidt in my therapy sessions. At least I don't feel as much rage as before but..."

Nena took a deep breath, looked at the sky. She knew her brothers weren't there either, she didn't quite believe in an afterlife or in God. But still she drew strength and resolve from the make-believe.

"I still feel the desire for revenge. If anything, this past year has only served to steel my resolve. If I'm still able to move forward it's to take that bastard's life with my own hands." She clutched her wrist and closed her other hand, a resolute stare solidifying. But almost as suddenly as that motion came, she relaxed. "But even so, I have to admit I'm enjoying this life you've gifted me so far. To learn about stuff, it's fun. I guess there is more than just shooting to mobile suits. I just wish they'd let me do more than just tests with the Drei. Oh yeah!" She lightened up. "Miss Kati finally showed her colors and had me help with testing the Drei! I can't quite use it as freely as before but going up in the skies again, man! It felt amazing! I'm trying to behave as a good girl as much as I can so they'll let me hang around the Drei even more."

She turned towards the other person that was leaning against Patrick's car. It seemed like Kati was reading some sort of file about whatever. Military stuff most likely. That woman needed to be less of a workaholic. "Maybe i'm being a little unfair to her. I mean, her interests did align with mine in the end. It's not like I expect people to like me for who I am just like that. Not everyone's as trusting as Patters anyways. Even if all she has done so far has been to just get on my good side, well, it has worked to my advantage. She's a good ally to have. And she keeps Patrick in check, it's always funny to watch him behave like a faithful puppy." She chuckled at the simile.

She closed her eyes, took a breath, then stood up. She then smiled at the graves. "Welp, I guess that's it for now. I know, I know, it sure is more boring than when we were cruising around as Team Trinity but, hey! At least I ain't on the run now! Take the bad with the good and all that. I'll come back later, after classes start, then I'll tell you aaaall about that as well. See you guys later!"

Nena turned around and raised her arm towards Patrick and Kati, the latter elbowing the former who almost dropped the gaming console then looked at where Nena was coming from, raising his arm back.

Unbeknownst to her, a certain individual had heard it all, hidden in plain sight attending to a nearby random grave. "I see. So that's the path you have chosen, Nena Trinity." Regene Regetta rose, took off his wide-brimmed hat and brushed his purple hair back. "I might have some use for you, yet."

* * *

The campus was big. Get-lost-while-looking-for-your-classroom big, it seemed to Nena. Since everyone had to wear a military uniform while taking classes, she reluctantly accepted and wore hers, as uncomfortable as it made her feel. She'd soon start moving and acting like Kati at this pace.  
Frowning at the campus map she tried to make head-or-tails of where she was to no avail. Her bothered grunt attracted a girl about her age.

"Hey there, you're a new face! Are you lost?", the girl called to Nena. Her light-chocolatey skin, straight, combed back black hair that finished in some sort of twin bun-ponytail, mid-sized yet expressive brown eyes and a bindi on her forehead told Nena she was probably from the HRL India. Or descended from, and proud of her ancestors. The girl looked both serious and cute, anyways.

"Hey! Yeah, I'm kinda lost, do you know where classroom eight is? I'm supposed to have Advanced Simulation IV there and it starts real soon." She showed her map to the girl. "Oh! By the way, I'm Nena Trinity." Nena extended her hand towards the girl.

"Riya Bhandari, pleased to meet you." The girl shook Nena's hand. "And as luck would have it I'm going there as well. Guess we have that class in common, let's go!" She added with a smile.

"Sweet, lead the way, then." Nena smiled back and followed Riya.

"So, are you a transfer student?" Riya went for the small talk approach as they headed towards their classroom. "I haven't seen you around before."

"You could say that. It's more like I've been on the move a lot and was home-schooled for a while." Tutored by the most advanced super-computer on the Earth-Moon system, but Riya didn't need to know that. "I had to take a test and I ended up here. I scored enough credits to finish in a year."

Riya turned to Nena, with an approving look on her face. "Wow, you must be some sort of genius! And your tutor must be a great professor too! But I have to wonder, why choose a military college, then?"

'My murder machine is being held by the military, so yeah.' Nena thought. "What better place to get really involved in mobile suit development than right where they get developed?" She smiled.

"Hm, I see your point. Brussels has a great program for that so you'll be making machines in no time. And here we are!" Riya opened the class hall's door and held it for Nena to go through. Then it dawned on Nena that this was the very first time she had ever been around so many people her age. She stood at the door for a while, staring at the sight, making Riya smile with a beatific, understanding smile.

"Uh, do you mind?" Another female voice called, then squeezed right through, followed by some other ten-or-so students trying to pass through. That finally made Nena react and move aside with an apology.

"First time at college, must seem like a daunting experience." Riya stood by Nena's side, her hands holding her electronic pad to the front of her dress. "Well, we better take our seats before the professor arrives, I'll introduce you to some of our classmates."

They reached the front of the hall's seats, where a group of 4 were gathered together, discussing something about the latest mobile suits. "Good morning, guys." Riya greeted them, so Nena supposed it was her friends. "Allow me to introduce a new classmate of ours. This is Nena Trinity." Riya announced, then waited politely for Nena to talk.

"Um, hi guys. Nice to meet you." Nena said, feeling out of her element for a moment.

The first person in the group that spoke up was a tanned girl with long, wavy black hair. Her eyes were light brown-colored and she had thin lips. "I'm Lucia Zamorano, nice to meet you, Nena." She smiled at her and waited for the next person to talk, before she felt a cold sweat running through her back when she heard two of her companions make their personal opinion heard.

"She's cute..." Her blonde female friend said, as her carrot-ginger haired male friend contributed. "Tell me about it..." A chestnut-colored, short haired guy with glasses and a very serious looking expression simply scoffed at his companion's reactions and proceeded to introduce himself, while Lucia hit the blonde girl and the ginger guy on their heads. "Please, forgive my idiotic classmates, they're like that whenever they think a girl is pretty." He adjusted his glasses as he attempted to excuse his friends. "I'm Andreas Biaggi. Pleased to make your aquaintance, Miss Trinity." Andreas extended his hand in what appeared to Nena the most Mannequin-like motion she had seen since she had entered the campus.

Apparently managing to rein the romance-driven pair, Lucia whispered to them. "C'mon, stop embarrasing yourselves." She kept her polite smile and gaze trained on Nena.

The ginger guy spoke first. "Sorry, hun, it's not everyday that I see such a pretty lass." Which earned him an incredulous whisper of 'since when are you a hundred years old?' from Lucia. His small nose and blue eyes made for a slightly feminine appearance, his curly red hair added to the youthfulness, yet he was rather well-built. "Christopher Donnelly, at your service." He smoothly took Nena's hand and kissed it, to which Lucia facepalmed, the blonde girl stared, Andreas adjusted his glasses, and Riya kept smiling her beatific smile at.

"Hey! That's unfair!" The blonde claimed. "I m-mean...uh, HI!" Her straight, long blonde hair flowing with her oval head's shake, she also sported a pretty pair of blue eyes, and clear, milky skin. Her small nose and permanently red cheeks added up to a kind of appearance one wouldn't quite expect at a military academy. She cleared her throat. "I'm Alice Brey, how do you do?" She slapped Christopher's hand away and shook Nena's.

By the moment they were all done with the introductions, the professor entered the hall, and everyone motioned to sit at their respective seats. Riya promised everyone 'We'll finish our introductions and get to know each other later, then!' as she sat down too.

To say Nena had felt shook up from the attention would have been an understatement, and by experiencing Christopher's and Alice's interests she couldn't help but remember and feel sorry for Setsuna a little bit. She took her seat, shook her head and looked to the front as the professor greeted everyone.

* * *

"What do you think about this, Lieutenant?" Kati asked Patrick as she extended the memorandum towards him. She already had an opinion formed after reading it but the different perspective might help her decide her posture, she thought.

Patrick read and read, and Kati remembered in that moment he was a slow reader, so she brought her cup of tea to her lips and started perusing the day's newspaper on her pad. As she noticed he was on the last page, she put it down and looked at him, politely expectant.

"This is great! Now the world can truly be united! Gosh, we're sure to approach an era of real peace!", he exclaimed as he put down the memo, looking at Kati like a puppy awaiting for its owners praise.

For Kati it felt for a second that her office had become the most ridiculous place on Earth. Then she reflected it was really her fault to expect anything else from Lieutenant Colasour. A plotter, he was not. "Well, yes, I suppose it would be in different circumstances but this 'A-Laws proposal' reeks of maverick police. And as arrogant as to put where they think they are right in the name. 'Above the Laws', it seems."

Patrick's grin faltered immediately as he realized his folly, then slumped on his seat. "Yeah, I didn't think of that..."

And despite her best efforts she couldn't help but feel sorry for Patrick. "It's quite alright, Colasour, I merely sought a different point of view and as such I appreciate it. But still, perhaps I'm being too hasty in my judgment. Our hard-earned peace might require such means to keep."

Kati stood from her seat, and as she saw Patrick quickly start to stand as well she extended a placating hand towards him, so he'd remain sitting. She took a couple steps to face her office's window and stared to the outside, as if seeking non-existant answers on the wind. In such a contemplative mood she started. "Trials on the GN-XIII will begin in about a week and our base has been assigned one of such trial units. You will be the pilot for it. Also, I'll be assigning you on a peace-keeping operation to Moralia, a rogue group of mercenaries have made unsustainable demands to the AEU government and we need them...placated. The details are in the briefing." She turned around and extended a memory drive to Patrick. "As this mission will take place at the same time as the arrival of the GN-XIII, we need you to sortie in it and obtain combat data. As of now you'll be granted temporary leadership of Mobile Suit Flight Four. You've worked with them before so I'm sure you'll have no issues. Any questions?"

Patrick stood up and saluted sharply. "Not at the moment, Colonel, I'll have to read the briefing and then I'll probably have a hundred. but everything's clear as of now, ma'am."

Kati nodded approvingly. "Very well, we'll reconvene and perform a full briefing on the week. You're dismissed." Kati sat down as Patrick left her office, and as soon as he exited, she opened the files on the work chief Moretti had done regarding the Throne Drei.

Turning on her recorder software she started. "Log 21 of the continuing research on the Throne Drei. The Hyper Mega Launcher recovered more than a year ago has been finally put to use. Unfortunately, the necessary output to unleash its full potential seems to require an energy source much greater than the ones currently at our disposal. However, with the announcement and development of the GN-XIII, it appears like the energy output of that unit's reactor might be enough, after a full study of its capabilities is finished. As to why such a study would be necessary, it seems that the drives employed in the GN-XIII were donated by an...unknown sponsor. Pause." She opened the file regarding the new unit's energy drive. The alleged sponsor's identity couldn't be found anywhere. "Intriguing." She muttered to herself. "But, for what purpose?"

Her thoughts made the rounds on her head and, without being able to come but to mere speculations, she shook her head, and continued her recording. "The information we have obtained from the full battery of tests has been quite productive, and a project to begin work on a prototype unit, codename 'Efreet' has begun. While still in its infancy, the engineering team appears to be quite sure about the new unit's performance, giving an alternative to the now ubiquitous GN-X line and derivatives. A proposal to serve as a long-range support unit, akin to the old Tieren models and to become as emblematic as the Union's Flag, is being considered. Stop." She concluded her log.

As she stretched her shoulders, she stood up, and closed her eyes. As if unwanted, the thoughts of this 'mysterious sponsor' returned to her, and she felt compelled to turn once more to the window, to look at the outside.

"The future seems so cloudy. Kujo, can you foresee where it leads, wherever you are?" She told to the skies. "As for me, all I know is that this may be the beginning of something we won't be able to easily turn back from."

Like reading her mood, the gathering gray clouds rumbled, announcing the impending rain.

* * *

After their dinner, Patrick and Nena would settle down for what had become their nightly ritual whenever both of them were at home, namely, them playing Beast Slayer G in the living room.

"Dude, stop getting hit so much, you're gonna get carted again." Nena chastised Patrick. "Awcrap, here it comes, shoot it, shoot it!"

"I'm on it, stop yelling! Set up the trap while I break its wing!" He directed.

"Ok, it's set u-OH MY GOD, YOU ASSHOLE LIZARD! It's flying away again!" She complained with all of her slayer heart.

"And the marker just wore off, now to spend 20 minutes chasing its scaly ass." Patrick lamented. He quickly made his character reload his gun then started running to another area. "How was your first day, by the way?" He asked without taking his eyes off the screen.

While ordering her character to sharpen her axe she replied. "Pretty good, actually. I met a nice girl and her doofus friends: a couple of horndogs, their nanny and Kati's rule 63." She drank an antidote potion then ran to a different area than Patrick's character.

"There's another Colonel Mannequin?" He wondered out loud. "I can't really wrap my mind around that concept."

Nena took her eyes off the screen to stare at Patrick, then quickly remembered this was Patrick, the colonel's pet. So she decided to say nothing and just keep playing. "Since it's the last year they're making us think about a final project. I have a couple ideas in my mind but I'd have to run them by Kati first, for access to the Drei." She informed him. And then she saw the Brass Growlzan landing on a herbivore. "I found him! Get over here, Patters!"

"If it's for your studies I don't think the Colonel will have any issues with it. I'm on my way." He rushed to where Nena's character was wailing on the dragon monster. As he reached the area he pelted it with paralyzing shots, managing to stop it on its rampage. "There! Cut its damn tail off!" He switched over to impact bullets.

"Eat steel, overgrown lizard! Fear the 'Crimson Hurricane'!" She lost herself over to the hunting trance, her character's moves hitting with critical strikes. She knew it was close to over but a lingering feeling nagged her in the back of her mind. And then the dragon struck back, sending her in a flying arc in its rage, then blowing her up with a fireball.

"Damnit, the brass ones are resistant to stun, I forgot! I'll distract it, you go hide and recover!" He told Nena as he tried to draw the dragon's attention with thrown stones.

But she wouldn't have any of it. Gritting her teeth in rage she ran towards the monster and performed a jumping attack. "That's it! Enough playing nice, I'm going to murder you!" With a sharp slice she cut its tail off, then broke the dragon's claws with the next attack. Seeing the monster trip and fall she sliced-and-diced it. How dare it damage her so badly?!

"Wait up, Nena, it's supposed to be a cap...haaaaa." He tried to remind her of the mission's objective, just to see the 'Mission Failed' notice before he could. He just rubbed his eyes in disappointment. "It was a capture mission, Nenners."

She simply stared, dumbstruck, at the very same 'Mission Failed' screen. "Uh...tee-hee?"

* * *

10 points for whoever guesses who Riya is a reference to. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'll see you guys next week~


	5. Flicker of Bravery

I decided to update a little earlier this time. I'll probably have to switch to sundays for my updates. If you guys have been waiting for some actual Gundam action then this chapter will hopefully sate your thirst. I inspired myself while writing the mobile suit attack by listening to Ace Combat Zero's "Flicker of Hope" (it also inspired the chapter's title) so if you feel so inclined, go ahead and play it once you see Patrick and his guys commence their mission, you'll know where. By the way, here's a warning for a bit of foul language in the mission part.

Also, *ding ding ding* you gain 10 points northernlion196, Riya is indeed a reference to Lalah Sune! Don't ask what the points are for, I don't know either.

And without further ado, here's chapter 5.

* * *

**Chapter 5 - Flicker of Bravery**

The late morning at Brussel's College was cold in February. The sun could barely pierce the gray clouds and the winds didn't help much with the freezing weather. Thankfully, Nena and her new teammates were discussing their plans regarding their final projects in one of the, in that moment, unused classrooms. Other teams of cadets werealso there, making use of the terminals around the place to coordinate and plan.

Riya continued explaining her plans to her two teammates, Nena and Andreas. "As such, I believe there can be increases in the machine's response time and movement by compartmentalizing the functions even further. Like here, and here." She pointed at two parts of the mobile suit control interface's mockup on the screen.

"I dunno, accessing several functions at once should bring the opposite effect, shouldn't it?" Nena argued.

"Ah, but that's where command functions come into the picture." Andreas took his queue. "I had discussed this with Riya a year ago and we came to the conclusion that a dedicated administration core would nullify that effect." He adjusted his glasses with his index finger.

"The only problem is that without a mobile suit this is all still on the hypothetical." Riya lamented, leaning back on her seat and sighing.

"Well, that's where I come in. I can probably get us access to some Jinxies." Nena winked.

At this, both Andreas' and Riya's eyes went wide as saucers. "Playing with your friend's feelings isn't nice, Nena dear." Riya admonished in disbelief.

"You see, I had a feeling this would happen sooo, I talked with a certain friend of mine and she said she could arrange for a few playtime hours with a Jinx, since it was for me." She reassured them in a sing-song tone.

"This is it, I can see the ending." Andreas' glasses shone as he readjusted them yet again. "This is the chance we've been waiting for."

"I feel kind of bad for the others, I don't think they'll have the same chance we're going to have." Always worried about people, Riya commented.

"Hey, people has to get an advantage when they can." The redhead justified herself.

"But what about Lucia, and Alice and Chris?" Riya pleaded.

As she said that, the three of them turned to see Christopher hitting on some of their female classmates, Alice taking a nap and Lucia frantically writing on the terminal, apparently the only one of that team that was working.

"You really wanna work with them?" Nena pointed a thumb towards the others.

"I do feel sorry for Lucia, but Nena's right, it can't be helped. Besides, I'm sure once Alice gets on gear and with Christopher's contacts, they can come up with something. That should level the playfield opportunity-wise." Andreas reflected. "As for the brilliance of the project, well, there's no helping that the most brilliant minds are over here." He smirked.

"This guy, he gets it." Nena passed an arm around Andreas as he kept smirking, his index finger on his glasses bridge and his other hand on his elbow.

Riya couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. "Alright then, I suppose we can give them a hand when they ask, instead. Let's come up with a schedule. Do you think we can get some time with the GN-X next week's saturday and sunday, Nena?"

"Yeah, should be no prob."

"Andy, we'll need to make some depuration on the OS, from here until next weekend. Can you handle it?" Riya asked.

"Without a doubt." Was his curt response.

"Alright, we'll have Nena write up some command functions for the administration core since she's the one with the most piloting expertise. And I'll come up with the battery of tests. Everyone ok with that plan?" Riya wrote up the main tasks and turned to her classmates.

"Leave it to me!" Nena confidently accepted her assignment. Andreas simply nodded.

"This is so exciting! I can barely wait to work on the Jinxy!" Riya celebrated.

"If you'll excuse me, then, I'll start on the depuration right now. No reason to dally if we have a course of action." Andreas told the two women.

"Oh, I'll need you to teach me about the OS for those command functions. Mind if I join up?" Nena asked him.

"Yes, of course. The workframe that can run it is over hall five. Let's go."

"Have fun!" Riya sent her friends off and started working on her task as well.

* * *

Hall five had some mobile suit machine cores and cockpits for practice and study. As such, it was one of the two halls that could run operative systems meant to be run on such machines. Andreas kept the hall's door open for Nena, with the sharpness that was expected of a military officer. As a girl who adored attention she couldn't deny she enjoyed such gestures, even if they were only because of his military education. But she could recognize a certain type of personality from him: the focused, analytical type. And she liked to fluster those types with her coquettish persona.

She reflected that guys like Christopher weren't quite her type. She liked to be the one conquering, not the opposite. The fact that Andreas resisted even more than what it would be normal only made him more intriguing. "Thank you, sir." She said as she entered the hall, winking at him.

Still no response. Amusing.

He pulled a nearby chair for Nena to sit down and then took his seat on the cockpit mockup. Inserting a memory drive, he turned the machine on. "Let's start this up, then..." He said, his eyes fixed on the display.

She took her seat as well, and pulled it as close as she could to the cockpit, leaning a little bit over him, a hand on her chin.

That still flew over Andreas' head. He started explaining as the bootup sequence finished. "From the main menu, we have this icon for limb control, this icon to configure weapons, this icon to configure enviromental variables," He tapped each icon in turn, returning to the main menu after that. "And this icon is the one that interests you, where you can write up command functions." He tapped the final icon.

"Right. Got it." She confirmed.

Nena's perfume and presence was starting to make Andreas a bit flustered now. Thankfully he was very good at keeping his cool-headedness. Yet what started to chip at that was when he turned his head to continue with his explanation and noticed her body leaning over him. A slight red crept on his cheeks. "Y-yes." He cleared his throat. "Very well, the-um. The language to program the command functions follows natural language closely, with the following syntax rules." He adjusted his glasses as he turned back to the display, tapping an icon to produce a new, smaller display that lighted up to provide a keyboard.

'Oh, sweetie, you're starting to blush' Nena celebrated on her mind. Time for the second strike. "What's this icon do?" She brushed his hand and pointed at a random icon.

"Eh-uh.." He stammered at the sudden contact. "Yes. That's a shortcut to the enviromental configuration." Returning to his element, he also recovered some composure. "We figured that quick access to that set of parameters would be necessary. Now, as for the syntax..."

'That's actually pretty smart.' Nena reflected. She had to recognize both Riya and Andreas had very good ideas for not being pilots. From the first day in college she had recognized she'd have to get near those two to reach her goals more easily. While she could do quite a lot of work on her own she had to accept she wasn't as experienced as others in actual mobile suit operative systems development. She'd absorb as much as she could from her teammates. Having some fun on the side was a definite plus, though.

"First, the main command keywords are these." He produced a list of commands on the screen. "As you can see, most are self-explanatory. The classical programming language operators work, and we have also placed some primitive A.I. operators in as well. We still need access to a high-performance A.I. to develop more, unfortunately." He lamented.

"I might be able to help with that." Nena informed him.

That made Andreas turn completely towards her. "What...manner of person are you? You have access to such an A.I.?" Nena was a full box of surprises, it seemed to Andreas.

"Oh yeah." She nodded while closing her eyes for emphasis.

"Well? Elaborate!"

"Ah, wouldn't you love to know." She teased him. 'Now i'll strike at your curiosity, you never had any chance, honey.'

"You are a terrible woman, Nena Trinity. I suppose I'll find out eventually, what with being part of the project." Andreas reassured himself out loud.

"Maybe I'll only tell Riya." She playfully teased again.

"Oh, c'mon, Trinity!" In a rare moment for him, he raised his voice, pleading.

"Andy, Andy, Andy. You're so fun to tease." She turned her face away, drinking on his frustration.

"Pretty please?" He clasped his hands together, as if in prayer.

She half-turned towards him, a playful smirk on her lips. "Since you're being such a sweetie, maybe I will. You'll have to wait until we go work on the Jinx."

* * *

"Commencing test, number 13B-35, target shooting with improved TAU Drive." Nena's voice came to the command center. Her Throne Drei had gotten equipped with a drive from the new GN-XIII's units. So far the tests had shown full compatibility.

"Go ahead, kid." Chief Moretti replied as he started the measuring devices up. Kati stood behind him as she supervised the excercise.

"Ugh, I'm not a kid..." Nena muttered to herself, then turned to Haro. "Alright, pal, let's try to beat our score from last time. How's the energy output looking?"

"No problems! No problems!" Haro notified.

The crimson-haired pilot readied her suit's buster rifle and quickly aimed, then shot at the first target, without turning to look at where the beam had hit before looking for the next one. As she moved and shot the targets blew up one by one. She quickly ascended, did a quick whirl and shot two targets that stood opposite to one another. She then pushed her Drei's thrusters further and drew a sharp contrail towards the next group of targets.

"Barrel roll! Barrel roll!" Haro suggested a course of action to destroy five of the targets, and Nena complied. The shots made helix lines as they flew and impacted the five targets.

Kati put a hand to her chin, and sharpened her gaze, staring at the monitor.

The next targets were near the ground so Nena made a quick dive while tossing a couple shots to the ones that were on her immediate sight. The suit's speed caught up with the beams, then allowed it to go ahead. As the targets were destroyed a third and fourth shot also impacted a different couple of targets. Breaking to a near stop the Drei's feet almost contacted the floor then quickly ascended again towards the final group of targets.

"Six to go! Six to go!" Haro notified her.

"That is very impressive. Who's the pilot?" A voice called from behind Kati, which she immediately recognized as Brigadier General Arthur Rainier. A man on his late 50's, Rainier managed to be both imposing and calming at the same time. Short cropped graying hair, strong jaw, the very image of a classical military leader. But that belied a man whose true intentions slowly started to make themselves shown, when it was revealed that he was one of the foremost promoters of the A-Laws initiative inside the AEU military.

She turned around and saluted without losing her composure, even though he was a full hour earlier than what they had notified her. "Good day, sir. My apologies, I was expecting you later. That would be former Celestial Being operative Nena Trinity." She informed her superior.

"It's quite alright, Mannequin. They pushed my schedule a little tighter so I had to come earlier to fit everything in. So this is the Trinity girl? I can see why she was being used in the armed interventions back then. I surmise these tests are the ones with the new machine's drives?" Arthur asked.

"That is correct, sir. Both the performance and the output are well above our expectations. Along with project 'Efreet' we might see our research and development advance quicker than expected." Kati replied.

"I'm intrigued to see what else we can get from this, specially from our young pilot here. Have you talked to her about her future plans and what we have to offer her, by the way?" He said while watching Nena shoot the last two targets.

"I'm afraid I haven't had the opportunity, sir." She said. Managing to hide her alarm at General Reinier showing interest in Nena, she reflected it was probably a bad situation when an A-Laws leader had an eye on your people. She expected the military leadership would just leave it at employing Nena's aid with the new mobile suits's research and development, but recently they had ordered her to propose to Nena to consider a career as a pilot. She felt that was already over the line so she tried to procastrinate on that one as much as possible.

She also realized she was thinking of Nena as part of her people now, and kept that notion to the back of her head for later reflection.

"Man! Three whole seconds faster than our previous record! I could have gotten a couple more but I blame the sun. Stupid sun got on my eyes for a moment there." Nena's voice lamented to the command room as the test came to a close.

"Kid, your helmet has a sunlight filter." Moretti amusedly snarked at Nena.

"W-well, it still got in somehow! Anyways, this reactor is fantastic! My suit is a bit old already and it still managed to get these times, imagine what we could do with some tweaks here and there!" She excitedly replied.

"Excellent showing, Nena. We'll end it here for now, return to the hangar." Kati ordered Nena.

"Roger that, ma'am!" She acknowledged.

General Reinier was rather satisfied by what little he had seen, to put it mildly. "Very well, then. Mannequin, I'm pleased by the advance being done here. The Board will be receiving my recommendation to further support the project. And now, I'm afraid I wasn't joking when I said my time grew shorter than usual, so I'll take my leave. Chief Moretti, a pleasure as always." He saluted both Kati and Luigi Moretti.

"Aye, sir. S'always good to have you around." Moretti saluted back.

"With your blessings then, General." Kati did likewise.

As Nena was entering the General was already at the end of the hall so she barely catched a glimpse of the man. "Who was the geezer?" She candidly asked.

"That was General Reinier, Nena. He came to review our work here." Kati made special emphasis on Reinier's rank as to scold Nena. A-Laws promoter or not rank had to mean something.

This went over her head, unfortunately. "I bet he was impressed at our work, hehe! So, hey! When's Patrick coming back?" She asked changing the subject.

Colonel Mannequin simply sighed, then decided it'd be easier on her stress to just forget it. "He should be back in about a week according to his duty's schedule." In a moment of rare playfulness she teased Nena. "Why? Missing him already?"

At this Nena almost bristled, but quickly thought of a retort. "Hey, I ain't the one who's his girlfriend."

The Chief Moretti chuckled under his breath.

* * *

Behind the plateau overlooking the base belonging to the mercenary corps "Silver Manticore", the GN-XIII piloted by Patrick Colasour assessed the situation. The night vision filter made everything look as clearly as day and it seemed like the guard shift was almost upon the base.

Using an old model radio in an unused frequency, Patrick communicated with his small detachment of three GN-X. "This is Angel 1. Ready check to commence the operation. Angel 3."

"Standing by." Angel 3 replied.

"Angel 7."

"Ready to roll out, chief." Angel 7 acknowledged.

"Angel 13."

"As lucky as I'll ever be." The rest of the team chuckled.

"Alright people, this is a covert mission. As our briefing said we strike fast at their stockpiles and hangars and get out before they realize it. You all got your orders, but I have a last one for you: We all come back alive. Do I make myself clear?" Patrick ordered.

"Aye aye, sir."

"Copy that."

"Same thing to you, chief."

"Ok then. Don't forget to use your 'ye-olde radios' to communicate with each other and only those radios. They're so old no one ever monitors these frequencies anymore. Starting in five...four..." Patrick started counting down. "three...two...one...party time."

Three GN-X and a GN-XIII moved as silently as a mobile suit could. Completely painted in dark blue they could be barely seen against the night skies, their particle output diminished on purpose. Having practiced for it, all four units reached their targets without being noticed. They all counted mentally before starting the beam cannon volley.

* * *

A sudden explosion woke up mercenary leader Jean-Luc Carrier. "Sonofabitch! What the fuck was that?! Skinner!" He yelled to his second in command into the radio, who opened the door as if he had just been behind it at any time.

"Boss, it's the AEU! The reprisal came! You said they would accept our terms!" Skinner frantically informed his leader.

"Shut the fuck up, Skinner, get everyone ready! Bazookas, SAB batteries, where the fuck are our suits?!" Jean-Luc barked orders.

"That's the first thing they shot down, boss! We're starting up the ones we have left!"

"Goddamnit! Well, get the rest of the people ready, you fat asshole, GO!"

A stray explosion from the nearby weapons depot made it so Jean-Luc didn't have to worry about that or anything else for that matter, anymore.

* * *

"Holy crap." Training excercises were one thing, but Patrick quickly found out the GN-XIII's combat capabilities were something else entirely when they were seriously used. "Angel 13, how aren't you done yet?!"

"Their damn SAB batteries had a GN field generator nearby! They camouflaged them with fuckin' trucks!"

"Goddamnit. Angel 7 go help Angel 13 melee the shit out of those generators!" Patrick ordered.

"Right away, chief!" Was Angel 7's swift response.

"These GN-XIII's are definitely not made for stealth. Not made for stealth at all." Patrick lamented. "Angel 3 we're done here. Get outta the base and cover our exit. I'll go check up on 'Lucky' and 'Bash'."

"Copy that, Angel 1. Be on the lookout for any hidden enemies, there's a good possibility there are still some waiting for their chance." Angel 3 warned, then left the battleground.

And just as Angel 3 had warned, Patrick saw a couple of until now hidden Tierens preparing to shoot down Angel 7 and Angel 13 with their long-range cannons. "Oh no, you don't, you bastards!" He reacted. Taking advantage of the GN-XIII's superior acceleration he reached the Tierens with blinding speed, stopping just short of colliding with and slicing them both apart with a single cut. "Whoa, this is quite a blade..." He reflected. But with no time to waste he moved to gather together with the remaining two GN-Xs.

* * *

"There's a last one but I can't see where!" Angel 7 called over the radio.

'If not disguised as a truck, then where?' Angel 13 dodged a couple beams, then got a sudden moment of brilliance. Shooting towards the GN Field he paid attention to the protective sphere and traced his line of sight to where the center would be: an inert Enact. "I got it...there!" Angel 13 communicated, slashing apart the generator, but quickly yelled in alarm. "Ohsh-"

Angel 7 just barely turned around to see a group of three Enacts make Angel 13's lower half fly away, as if in slow motion. "Bernieeeeeee!" He yelled after his friend while shooting down SABs and rushing to his aid.

Out of nowhere Patrick appeared, blasted out a couple of the Enacts in the group, then grabbed Angel 13's damaged GN-X. "I got him, finish this shit up!" He yelled and flew away with his comrade's suit.

In rage, Angel 7 let loose a couple beams at the inert Enacts on the ground, then shot another one towards the Enact that had injured Angel 13. "Not so tough now, huh?" He taunted.

The Enact evaded with a sharp turn, then sped up to maximum, getting in melee range of Angel 7 and slicing off one of the GN-X's arms.

"You cocky piece of shit!" Angel 7 head-butted the Enact off of him, making it stagger. As it tried to recover, Angel 7 took the chance to shoot its head off at point-blank range.

"Get the fuck outta there already, Angel 7!" Patrick screamed.

"Aye, I'm on my way out!" Angel 7's reply came over the radio, satisfied that the Enact was careening towards the ground now.

The group left the former "Silver Manticore" base, the mercenary group's stockpiles and mobile suits reduced to nothing but fire and scrap metal.

* * *

Half a kilometer away, a GN Sefer customized for scouting purposes kept watch over the skirmish. Its pilot, Regene Regetta, heard Ribons Almark's voice inside his head. "How did the pacification mission go, Regene?"

"As well as we hoped. The GN Field generators did their work magnificently. This should allow our allies at the Autonomous Peacekeeping Forces to make their case more easily. I must say, though, what a waste of TAU drives." Regene quipped.

"Remember, Regene. No sacrifice is too great to prepare for the dialogues to come." Ribbons admonished his subordinate.

"Indeed. No sacrifice is too great." Regene submitted.

"Very well, then. Return to base, I have further assignments for you." The communication closed off.

"Assignments, indeed. Although, this tells me I should start thinking of making gifts of my own, my dear Ribbons. As you say..." Regene smirked. "All for the dialogues to come.

The GN Sefer Scout rised up and started heading to the Innovades' earth base.

* * *

"Bernard, you alright? Bernard!" Patrick called for his teammate's senses. Bernard, or code name Angel 13 was unconcious, with his right leg burned out from the knee down. At the same time, Angel 3, also known as Carlos was applying first aid to prevent infection and further bloodloss. The remaining member of Angel team, Will, was standing to the side, his fist against the rocky wall where they were currently hiding away from any prying eyes, his gaze downwards, fixed on the floor and his teeth gritted.

"Buh? W-what happened? Did we win?" Suddenly Bernard reacted. His senses were already numbed from the applied drugs and the nano-gel working on his stump. Will quickly turned around at hearing his flightmate and friend's voice, and hurried to his side. Carlos kept working but let a sigh of relief escape him, and Patrick leaned back and sat while wiping the sweat off of his forehead.

"Damnit, Bernie, you had us all worried! You weren't joking around when you said you were carrying as much luck as possible! How're you feeling?" Will asked the injured Angel 13.

"I'm flying, man. I'm having some fun with your sister." He grinned a stupid grin, and turned his unfocused eyes on Will.

"Shut the fuck up, over my dead body!" He smiled and playfully hit Bernie's shoulder.

At hearing the friendly jabbing, Patrick regained his strength and stood up. "Alright, guys, as soon as Carlos finishes we're going to the rendezvous point. You'll have to host Bernie here, Will. I'll carry what's left of his Jinx." Once he saw Bernard start falling asleep, Patrick called Will aside.

"Damnit, William, this is the third time you lose your shit like that! Do I have to keep worrying about you or are you gonna take a chill pill already?" He chastised his subordinate.

"I...no, sorry boss, you're right. I'm sorry. Won't happen again, I swear" Will turned his gaze down, ashamed. It was true, he had rage issues, not only when they messed with his people, but in general.

"Sorry my ass. You're going to counseling once we're back. This is the last time. I'm not filing for bodybags when my people could perfectly finish the mission without higher risks." He hated this part, he could understand wanting to protect his people. But sometimes one could take it too far and die. Once they had Bernie taken out of battle they were supposed to just get away.

"I understand." Will accepted his sentence.

Feeling he had made his point now, Patrick decided to reassure his teammate. "We'll get Bernie a new leg once we're back, it'll be better than the normal one. We'll call him 'Cybernie', yeah?"

Still his gaze downwards, Will allowed himself a chuckle.

"Done here, Lieutenant." Carlos reported.

"Alrighty then, let's get ready and go back home. Mission complete, guys."

* * *

This is my largest chapter yet and all points to this trend becoming more common, for stuff is gonna start going down. Hopefully you guys enjoyed the Gundam fight. As always, your reads, criticisms and reviews are very appreciated. Until next week!


	6. Something to protect

Chapter 6 is upon us! I'd like to take a moment to thank both my reviewers jhud and northernlion196. Believe me, northernlion196, it's getting harder to come up with something barely decent every week, why I just got an idea on the way to meeting up with some friends today for the next chapter, so as of now i'm working on air, heh.

Also, a note for this chapter in particular and maybe for some in the future: the part of the text where there's _italics_ is supposed to be memories and what's on **bold** is supposed to be song lyrics. Hopefully it makes sense when you get there. But anyways, here we go with this week's "A Streak of Crimson"!

* * *

**Chapter 6 - Something to protect**

Their first time visiting the base would always remain on Riya and Andreas' memory. While they had both visited other bases before, being in such an advanced one was a parade of wonder after wonder. And this was before even setting foot in the hangar, which made them feel like children inside a toy store.

Nena watched them, amused, with a smile on her face and feeling a bit of unwarranted pride. She was still merely a guest, after all. She was only allowed there thanks to Kati so this wasn't really a place she could call her own. But getting to know the people here and being able to already wave a hand towards some of the crews and them waving back, she felt like it was staring to feel as such.

"Whoa, those Enacts look so cool." Riya gushed. "And is that a Tieren? How did you get your hands on one? Oh my god and that's your GN-X fleet, right?" She turned one way and another, looking at each mobile suit in turn.

Andreas stopped before a particular suit. "And you even have a Flag. How did you guys even manage to get the Union to give you a Flag?" He admired the sleek design of the Union's emblematic suit, then another one quickly caught his attention. "W-what is THAT?!" He exclaimed as he staggered back in awe.

"Oh, that's my sweetheart, the Throne Drei." Nena raised her chest and head in pride, while putting her hands on her hips and closing her eyes.

"I have never heard of such a suit." Riya tried to recall, but failed to remember any with that name.

"Me neither. Is it a prototype? Wait, you're helping with prototype development?" He turned towards Nena, awe painted all over his face.

Then it hit Nena that she'd have to tell them about her history if she wanted to tell the truth. A slight trembling of her eyebrows betrayed her hesitation, but she quickly quashed it and decided they didn't need to know. "Y-yeah! You know how I have contacts? Well, it's thanks to me helping with the development of this girl." Yeah, she'd go with that.

Andreas turned back towards the Drei while Riya 'Ooooh'd at that story. "Well, this is quite the interesting design. Long-range role?" He guessed at seeing the huge Hyper Mega Launcher on its back.

"It seems so. Unless it's just a weapons carrier." Riya contributed.

"Well...sort of? Both and neither, I guess. We're still working on it. Probably not even gonna look like that in the end." She decided to say a half truth. "But we came to play with the Jinx, so follow me." She guided her teammates towards a GN-X that was missing an arm.

"Colonel Mannequin has decided that since it'll take at least a couple weeks before they get the replacement arm, this unit won't be used a lot. So this is our teammate number four." She informed them while climbing the stairs to the catwalk that accessed the cockpit. As they reached it, Riya and Andreas noticed a purple ball with arms connected to the suit's controls. "And this is teammate number five. Haro, say hi to my friends."

Disconnecting from the suit's cockpit, Purple Haro turned towards the three humans, and filed the two new ones in its internal database. "Who're you, rookies? Who're you, rookies?" It greeted.

Riya chuckled at that while Andreas raised an eyebrow. "What is this thing?" He expressed with disgust.

"Why, I just told you. Teammate number five." Nena smirked. "This is the A.I. I told you guys about. Its name is Haro and it helps its companion pilot with lesser control and monitoring duties, allowing the operator to focus on weapons aiming and more complex maneuvers." She explained.

"-This- is the A.I.?" Still being unable to believe it, Andreas wondered out loud.

"Clean your ears. Clean your ears." Purple Haro angrily retorted.

From hearing that last exchange, Riya chuckled a bit more. "Well, I think it's cute. Can I hold you, Haro?" She asked.

"The cutie can. The cutie can." Haro turned towards Riya and extended its arms. Once it was comfortably resting on Riya's arms, it turned towards Andreas and warned. "But blindy can't. But blindy can't."

"Why you..." Andreas moved towards Haro.

"I think Haro has made it clear who it wants to work with, so how about we let Riya get on that while we work on running our OS in the Jinx, ok Andy?" Nena grabbed Andreas to prevent her robotic friend from getting a hit, and making him sit inside the cockpit.

"I thought my first experience with an advanced A.I. would be much different from this." He lamented as he inserted the memory drive into the GN-X console.

"Don't deny it, you're as amazed as I am with it." Riya told Andreas as she took a seat and started up her portable terminal. "How do we get you hooked up to this, Haro?" She asked her new friend.

"Wireless or wired? Wireless or wired?" Purple Haro offered.

"Figures." Riya smiled. "Then give me a cable, we'll do it wired."

"Okie dokie. Okie dokie." And it produced a cable from its mouth.

Nena smiled at the exchange between human and Haro, then turned towards Andreas. "How's the startup looking, Andy?"

He threw a thumbs up towards her. "So far so good. The compiler's probably gonna take around ten minutes to translate it but after that, we can start up your command functions and begin with the first tests in Riya's battery. And then we'll see just exactly how good we are."

"I wouldn't worry too much, you guys are good." She praised, winking.

"We can agree on that." Andy smiled at her and crossed his arms as they waited. "Do you think we can fly it in the state it is?"

"Yeah. We'll just have to leave the tests that require the left arm for later. Oh, this should be a good chance to test contingency routines for when the suit receives damage."

"Ah, good call. Let's see here..." He produced the battery of tests Riya had made on his portable terminal. "Then we'll skip five and nine, and we'll do from thirty-three to thirty-seven. How's that sound?" He consulted with his read-headed teammate.

"Hmm, we can probably do forty while we're at it too." Without it being her intention she got closer to Andy while tapping the display. A slight blush crept on his cheeks, thankfully unnoticed by Nena. 'Focus, Andreas. Focus.' He reprimanded himself, then shook his head.

"You ok, Andy?" She asked him in concern.

"Oh yes, perfectly! I guess I'm just a bit tired." He lied.

Stealing a glance at where her two teammates were interacting, Riya noticed Nena's effect on Andreas' behaviour and smiled.

* * *

Kati re-read the mission report that Patrick had filed after returning from his assignment. The facts about what happened only left them with more questions than answers and, frankly, she didn't want to think about what they implied. Putting down the electronic pad, she sighed, took off her glasses and rubbed her eyelids. Sitting in front of her was Patrick, waiting for the colonel's comments.

"I see you faced some unexpected resistance." She mentioned.

Patrick put his arms on the chair's armrest, uncomfortable. He couldn't understand why those things were at a mercenary base. "Those GN field generators had no business being there, Colonel. Those things are way too advanced and expensive to be obtained by even the best mercenary companies, and that's back when they had regular work and government support. Why did they even have those? That almost costed me a teammate." He lamented.

GN technology was a very zealously kept secret, no one ought to have such easy access to TAU Drives, not even the governments. Handing them out to run-of-the mill mercenary bands reeked of work most foul. That did explain why the 'Silver Manticores' had suddenly found the guts to make demands of the AEU, though. "You're correct, Lieutenant. Intelligence didn't report on them since they never even found out about that. It is unthinkable after all. But I'm glad you managed to lead your people out of their conundrum. That at least is most pleasing."

Kati had expected Patrick to exult in the praise, as he often did. Instead, she was surprised to hear Patrick reply dejectedly. "I thank you, Colonel."

"You're worried about Hills?" She dared a guess. "Don't be. He's already recovering from the surgery and he should be back to walking before you know it."

Yet Patrick's gaze still felt like that of a worried relative. While disheartening, it also made Kati realize something she had been noticing for a while now. "You've changed, Patrick."

That made Patrick's expression change, he was now wondering what she meant. "I...don't understand, Colonel?"

She smiled at that. "You've always been a maverick, a daredevil pilot and a glory-hound." At that Patrick visibly winced. "But recently I've noticed you've become rather more caring and protective of the people that depend on you, as well. Yes, I've noticed, and that's why I've given you more and more leadership assignments."

He did wonder about that, but never questioned his Colonel. "I see." He quietly replied.

"But I wonder what brought about that change? Perhaps Nena isn't the only one that has benefited from your relationship." She reflected out loud.

"I wouldn't know, to be honest. But I guess that makes sense." Patrick admitted. "I guess having someone back home, someone to take care of has made me become a bit more...responsible? It's been almost two years already, after all."

"Responsible..." She rolled the word around her mind. It was true enough. If anything, it solidified her decision. "Well then, responsibility calls for more responsibility." She smiled, barely containing the pride she felt from Patrick's achievements. She motioned for him to stand up. "First Lieutenant Patrick Colasour, you're being evaluated constantly, as you know. Both your ongoing excellent performance, and your years of service have made the Defense Bureau decide that you are to be promoted to the rank of Captain, effective at the end of the current trimester, once assignments and duties are given." She turned to the calendar on the top of her desk. "That'd be in one week from now."

"I..." Patrick's eyes went wide as saucers. He always thought he'd be stuck at Second Lieutenant, perfectly content with piloting his mobile suit and taking orders all his life. Back when they had promoted him to First Lieutenant for his team's capture of the Throne Drei he was rather pleased. But this was...

He came to the realization that it did feel right. He would've probably minded having more responsibilities tossed unto him before but he reflected, this way he could take better care of his guys, in a way. He also felt surprised at that thought coming to his mind. He stood straighter, saluted sharply, and replied. "Yes, Colonel! I'm honored and grateful, Colonel!"

"Congratulations, Captain Colasour." She smiled.

* * *

The Innovades earth base was the kind of place one could easily mistake for an arabian sheik's mansion. Built right in the middle of a moderately sized oasis, surrounded by desert and luxuriously decorated, the white marble walls shone with the full force of the sun in the day. And conspicuously hidden beneath the gigantic pool, the hangar's horizontal doors split open whenever it was required.

Once Regene got out of his GN Sefer Scout, he was approached by one of the new innovades, a lilac and mid-length haired one with reddish eyes, and the physical appearance of a 20-years old woman, someone he couldn't quite remember the name of, though. "Regene Regetta, I have some questions for you, are you free?" She asked. He internally cursed Ribbons for burdening him with tutoring some of the new innovades on top of his other duties, but stopped nevertheless.

"Certainly, new one. What...was your name again?" He asked

"Anew Returner, sir." She obediently replied.

"Ah yes, the sleeper agent one. Have you finished the assigned courses with Veda?" Regene prodded.

"Yes, sir. It's about that assignment actually, that I have questions." Anew brought the conversation back to topic.

"Well then, out with it."

"It's regarding the cooking tutoring. Veda has implanted all the necessary information but I can't manage to find a reason as to why I'd need such a skill." She inquired. "Also, with the other skills like engineering, I've had no problem applying them, but with cooking I find myself lacking in both motivation and actual practice."

"You're asking me why would you even cook?" He attempted to confirm in disbelief.

"Yes, sir." Anew replied, straight-faced.

"Look." He put both of his hands on her shoulders. "You're supposed to fulfil some sort of weird human-male fantasy to better fit in your role as a spy. One of the absolutely necessary skills for that is being able to cook. That's your motivation right there. As for practice...I guess I can arrange for that. It is true that most manual skills require at least some muscle memory." Regene conceded.

Her narrowed eyes belied the absolute innocence a newly-made being had naturally. Staring directly into Regene's own, she inquired. "Fantasy, sir?"

"It's..." If he was completely honest he couldn't quite understand it himself. Being an innovade meant that he had no need for sexual relationships, nor the courting or the other rituals human beings involved themselves with to fulfil that goal. But still, this was his responsibility, so he tried. "Look, you know how human beings have their reproductive imperative. As part of their culture they have surrounded it by expectations and illusions to make it more than what it really is. Among those expectations are mate archetypes. Are you following so far?"

Human culture was one of those mysteries Anew couldn't quite understand from the lesser beings' customs, just like most innovades. But she supposed this much, she could get. At least so far. "I think so, yes."

"Good. One of those archetypes is the demure, obedient housewife. You ought to know about human customs enough to know what is a housewife. But, even when you're not someone's housewife yourself, your general persona can still fool them into the necessary mindset if you act as such. And that's where cooking comes into the picture, since it's part of the perfect housewife persona." He continued.

"Oh, I see. No one would expect such a submissive woman to be a sleeper agent." She put her closed hand on her palm in realization.

"Perfect, I see you understand now. Of course, you will not remember this once you enter your sleeper agent state, but the knowledge should be enough for you to be properly motivated at the moment." He nodded in approval.

"Thank you, Regene. I think I will be able to finish my duty without an issue now." She gratefully replied still straight-faced, as an innovade does.

"Well then, if that's all, I have some other matters to attend to." He turned around and continued towards his original destination while at the same time Anew turned around as well and went to resume her tutoring with Veda, as if the conversation had not happened at all.

Once Regene reached his private chambers he started up the link to Ribbons' 'space penthouse', as he snarkily called it. "I'm here, Ribbons. What are your orders?" Regene began.

"Greetings, Regene Regetta. For your next assignment I need you to contact a certain individual. Their information should be arriving shortly on your terminal's storage drive. You shall find them and bring them to me. The details on what you shall offer them are also inside the assignment's file. Needless to say, the objective must be absolutely achieved." Ribbons ordered.

Regene opened the file and read the individual's data. Louise Halevy, age 19. Currently residing in AEU Spain. Continuously visits the Seville's Our Blessed Lady's hospital. Lost her whole family to an attack conducted by team Trinity. Her hand was amputated as a result as well, and it has been impossible to regenerate due to influence from the imperfect TAU Drive's GN particles. She is to be offered a way to regenerate her hand and access to the military to exact her revenge."

"I didn't know you felt like being an altruist now, Ribbons."

"I assure you, this is not altruism. The girl's recruitment will allow us to provide resources to our friends at the A-Laws initiative and her thirst for revenge should be useful in the future. You should never underestimate the practicality of having a bloodthirsty hound." In a rare moment for him, Ribbons explained.

"Certainly, Ribbons. Then I shall look into it without delay." Regene replied.

"Indeed. See that you do." Ribbons closed the link.

Turning around to open his personal notepad, disconnected from the Veda system, Regene reviewed the number of TAU Drives available. As the Earth Federation solved and re-engineered them, it would be easier to obtain one. Veda's estimate had been that in 3 more years, give-or-take, it would be possible to mass-produce them. But with a little bit of help, Regene could get his hands in at least a half dozen drives right now, for his personal use. He sent the instructions to a manufacturing plant, under an alias, and asked them to be delivered to a certain location of his exclusive knowledge. Paying them handsomely, he swore them to secrecy beforehand. This way he could start with his own plan.

His expression turned into one of sadness. "Why would you decide to do things this way, Ribbons? It only diverts the attention to irrelevant issues. You're straying too far from Aeolia Schenberg's plan." Regene sat on his huge King-sized bed, notepad in hand, his expression turning angry. "But that's where I come in. I shall see to the original plan, modified because of your interference. You're going down a path I cannot abide."

He looked at Nena's picture on his notepad. The girl had gone into a path outside of Ribbon's plans. But thankfully her position was still vulnerable, it made her an easy target to approach. She just needed the appropriate...motivation, and she'd probably become the proverbial wrench in Ribbon's plan.

"I shall make use of you, Nena Trinity. You will help me get this plan back on track." He smirked. "The future comes closer and closer and we need to be prepared for the dialogues to come."

* * *

Kati's room was unlit that night by choice. Just getting out of her shower, she turned to see the time. Half-past ten, she noticed.

Sitting on her bed, the bathrobe slightly open letting the cool air refresh her after that hot shower, she took the towel around her hair off, her straight, damp hair falling on her shoulders. Grabbing a nearby can she drank what was left of her beer. Her scowl said it was already too warm to enjoy. She put the can away and grabbed the remote, playing one of her favorite songs in an ancient device of a bygone era: a CD player.

**'Aaaaand you don't know meeee...what hides insiiiide meeee...'**

She rested her elbows on her legs. It'd be a lie to say she was always tormented by the past, but sometimes it'd find her to poke at her failures. Tonight was such a time. Laying back in bed she remembered that fatidic day, when both Kujo and her got false information and invited chaos and death as a result.

_"They're almost here, ma'am! Your orders, please!"_

_"We got them! They're falling d-aaaaargh!"_

_"Keep it up people, we still can win this! Strike decisively!"_

Putting an arm over her eyes, she did what she had learned in counseling: just let the memory run its course, let it flow and watch it pass by. A sigh escaped her lips.

_"Mannequin, what you attacked was our own forces. The false information we received...has costed us dearly."_

_"Emilio! Emilio don't leave me, nooooo!"_

_"It was not your fault. You can't...you can't beat yourself over that forever. We need to move on, Kujo. Both you and I."_

Turning to the side she saw outside the window. A pleasant, cloudless night greeted her. Smiling slightly, she felt the darkness pass and managed to get up.

**'Did I sell my soul for this feeling so long ago?'**

Truly, it was a beautiful night, she noticed standing on her room's balcony, the cool night air refreshing her.

**'You knooooow why yesterdaaay was a...'**

She mouthed the song's lyrics. A little, melancholic tune. She thought of the CD player, how the relic had passed down from generation to generation. Cutting edge back when it was acquired, now it needed a very specific set of skills just to maintain it. Skills which were also passed down. She kinda liked that tradition, as vain as it seemed.

She smiled, closing her eyes, as the song ended. She had to go to bed soon if she was to wake up at the proper time to arrive at the base. yet at that very moment her phone decided to ring. She sighed but picked it up after the second ring. "Mannequin here."

"I have come across a bump in our investigation's way, Kat." A voice she instantly recognized as one of her reporter acquaintance's told her. "No matter where I look, there's no information about the generous sponsor that donated the TAU Drives. It's almost as if they never existed."

"That in itself is rather telling, at least." Kati reassured them both.

"It is. But that's not all. One thing I did find is that the GN-X is not a design of any of the federation's members. While this is just a guess, it tells me that the same sponsor gave the federation both drives and schematics. Following that line of thought..."

Kati interrupted him as she came to the same realization. "It'd mean that our sponsor is pulling some major strings in the formation of the federation. Do I dare guess that this also leads to the formation of the A-Laws initiative?" She continued.

"That might be too daring of a guess and a rather conspiratory leap of logic but..." He took a deep breath as he put his thoughts in order. "Look, both you and I know that this peace is built on rice paper. We'll need more information, or some manner of clue to make that conclusion. Yet I can't help but come to the same one as you just did."

"That's quite alright, I agree with what you're saying. Thank you for the tip. And be careful."

"You too, Kat. You too." He promptly hung up.

She stared at her phone, reflecting on what had been said. A new song came up as she did and she couldn't help but smirk.

**'There's nothing to do but believe. Just believe...just breathe.'**

* * *

Later on the week and as she left the college campus, Nena reflected on what a good day it had been. Her team managed to progress a bit further, Riya gave her some nice snacks and Andy tripped at one of her winks. The simple things truly made life more enjoyable. And now she was finally heading home for the weekend and then she'd-

"Greetings, Nena Trinity." A deep voice called from behind her.

'No way. There's no way it can be him.' She pleaded. As she turned around, her eyes wide open, she kept wishing she just imagined it. Until she saw who was calling for her. Right there, in front of her, stood Tieria Erde, a neutral expression painted on his face. He was wearing an unassuming combination of blue cardigan and faded jeans, and his dumb glasses as always. "H-how..." She stammered.

"Hm? Well, I simply travelled here. I'm sure you understand travel?" He snarked at her.

"I thought you guys were dead." She ignored the verbal jab.

At that, Tieria did a double take. "I'm quite sure you didn't know of our existence until..." He paused. "Actually, how do you even know about us? Unexpected."

What 'Tieria' said made her hesitate. "Uh, Tieria?" She tried.

"Ah! But of course, now I understand. No, I'm not Tieria Erde, Miss Trinity. My name is Regene Regetta. Pleased, I'm sure." He pointedly didn't offer his hand for a handshake.

"What?" She asked, flatly.

"Yes, that's more like it. But why don't we walk as we speak? What I'm about to propose is something that might be better kept between you and me, if I can guess correctly." He turned sideways, motioning for her to start walking with him.

Completely taken out of her element, she simply went with the flow, trying to process what was happening. Was this guy with Celestial Being? Did that mean they were back in action? No, he said there was no way she could know about 'them'. Then who was he? What was his relation to Tieria? And why did he look exactly like him? A clone? More and more questions kept piling up, as Regene started talking.

"I'll answer your questions, maybe. If we get along. For now, I'll go straight to the point since my time is short: I can help with your charade, of letting no one find out about what you did as a Celestial Being operative." He offered.

The offer broke her out of her reverie. "Uh...what?" She eloquently asked, again.

"Yes. I can see you're trying to make a new life for yourself. And it would be truly, truly terrible if your new 'family' found out, don't you think? After all, you did murder quite a lot of people. Why, you might even be executed for it."

She crossed her arms and stopped walking at that. Was this guy for real? "You're not very smart, are you? Or you didn't even bother investigating properly." Nena said matter-of-factly.

The purple haired innovade stopped on his tracks and made an expression of utter bafflement. "I beg your pardon?"

"Damn right you should beg my pardon, asshole." Now she was pissed. "So you come here, to blackmail me, thinking I'm some sort of fugitive or whatever, thinking you can ruin my life by revealing my past? Dude, I've already been to the courts and they already sentenced me." She informed Regene.

"What." Now it was his turn to flatly ask. "Wait, hold on, what?" This wasn't going according to plan. At all.

"Yeah, living with the people you're threatening to reveal my 'daaark paaast' to?" She mockingly extended the vowels. "That's part of my sentence, idiot! You've got nothing on me!" Nena threw her arms up for emphasis. "And my friends at college? I barely know them! Go ahead and tell them. Yeah, it'll hurt a bit, but you could have chosen a better time for the threat. Like, after a couple years of knowing them. At least!"

"Hold on." He stopped her with his hand. This went so much outside of his forecasts that he was drawing a blank. Nena crossed her arms and tapped her foot, waiting for Regene to react.

After a while, she spoke up. "Dude, worst. Villain. Ever. How do you even know about that stuff, anyways? What's your relation to Tieria?" Now it was her time to attack.

"I'm...I'm a genetic twin of his. We were created. And we've been monitoring you." His eyes still wide as saucers and slowly taking a seat on the nearby curb, Regene was taken by surprise and revealed what she was asking.

"Who's 'we'?" She asked further, narrowing her stare.

"We're known as I-ah." The question finally made him react. "You're clever, Nena Trinity. Truly, you've managed to best me this time. You Trinity siblings were supposed to be easily manipulated. But it seems this time away from conflict has made you resilient, somehow. Further genetic tampering?" He dared a guess.

"I've gone to therapy. And the people that I'm hanging around with actually know about the world." She retorted.

"Therapy? Ah yes, that thing human beings use to treat their mentally ill." He turned to the side to process the answer, then stood up and returned his eyes to Nena. "Well, no matter. You haven't heard the last of me, Trinity. You'll help me, one way or another. For now, you win." He slowly got up and started walking away. It seemed to Nena that he was shakily moving, if only slightly.

"You forgot to say 'I'll be back' like a robot!" She tossed one final jab at his back. "What the flying squirrels just happened?" Nena wondered.

* * *

So yeah. I've discovered I kinda like writing Regene. I realized he's something of a blank slate, all we know is he hates Ribbons and he's smarmy. That means we'll be seeing more of him soon. I'd like to take this chapter's end to beg of you, my dear readers, for your kindness. You see, this story has no picture, and I could just stick any Nenners picture but I'd like to see if any of you who has drawing skills could draw one of her in her pilot suit looking all badass. All her pics have her coquettish and stuff, I want a badass Nena. If one of you feels interested, please send me a PM. Well, as always, your reads/reviews/criticisms are very much welcome and appreciated. Thank you for reading and see you next week!


	7. Deep connection

I know that face you have. You knew sunday arrived and craved for more "A Streak of Crimson". Not to worry, tho', here I am to obligue. As always, thanks for your reviews so far. This time the starting author's note ain't big so we can go right into the meat of things. Please, go ahead and enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 7 - Deep connection**

With the world's government's armies coalescing into the single Earth Federation's army, from time to time there would be visits made by high ranking officers to different areas. One such occasion found Colonel Sergei Smirnoff and Lieutenant Soma Peries at the military base that Kati Mannequin called hers. Familiarizing themselves with their soon-to-be allies and comrades in the army, they walked around the base, guided by Colonel Mannequin's go-to man, Patrick Colasour.

"And this is the hangar. We recently had a mission where some of our mobile suits got roughed up, so right now the crews are patching 'em up." He extended his hand towards the mobile suits.

"I see they have sent you a GN-XIII. Hungry for combat data, I surmise?" Smirnoff inquired.

"Sharp as expected, sir. Yes, the aformentioned mission gave the bosses much needed information." Patrick looked right, then left, then got a bit closer to Smirnoff. "Just between you and me, those things are scary!" He murmured. "Way too powerful, it's like everyone was playing with snowballs and someone decided to bring their pop's snowball machine."

"Sadly, that's how it usually goes regarding weaponry." Sergei lamented while closing his eyes.

"Tell me about it...hey! Here comes sunshine!" Patrick quickly changed the subject once he saw Nena getting off the recently landed Drei.

"I know that suit..." Both Sergei and Soma exclaimed, not noticing they had spoken in unison.

"Hey Nena! How did it go?" Patrick yelled at his little sister then quickly turned around towards his guests, signaling to give him a moment.

"What do you think? Amazing as always. But that's to be expected of my genius!" She praised herself, pointing a thumb towards her.

"No more sunlight accidents?" Patrick attempted to take her down from her own pedestal while smirking.

"Shut up, Patrick."

"Well, why don't we say hi to our guests here? Colonel Smirnoff, Lieutenant Peries, this is Nena Trinity, a cadet-in-training at the Brussels College. She's gonna be making improvements on mobile suits in no time!" He introduced the redhead to the visitors.

"Nice to meet'cha!" She winked and tossed a peace-sign.

Sergei chuckled. "A pleasure, Nena Trinity." he extended a hand towards Nena, who promptly grabbed it with hers and shook it happily.

Soma kept her impassive expression painted on her face. "It's nice to meet you, Nena Trinity." She offered her hand as well. In her case, though, Nena went around Soma, while the two men kept a mystified face while waiting whatever would happen.

"Man, you're thin. You ain't eating enough?" Nena verbally jabbed.

"I eat properly, thank you." Soma seemed unfazed, then extended her hand once again. She wouldn't embarrass the colonel no matter what.

"So stuffy!" This time though, she did shake Soma's hand. "You gotta relax, sister!"

"We are not siblings, I don't understand." Soma drily remarked while looking at Nena, who was now sporting a 'smiling frozen face of utter disbelief'.

Sergei felt a drop of cold sweat slide down his face while Patrick just scratched the back of his head.

"It seems you're enjoying the visit. I'm glad." Kati decided to show up at that moment. Stopping by Sergei's side, she quickly saluted, at the same time as he did. "Colonel Smirnoff, a pleasure to see you. I trust your flight was comfortable?"

"Indeed it was, Colonel Mannequin. And Colasour has been quite accommodating while showing us around the base. It has been an informative experience for both me and Lieutenant Peries."

The aforementioned Peries was until that moment in some sort of one-sided staring contest with Nena, but quickly turned around and saluted Kati as if nothing had happened. "Colonel Mannequin, ma'am!"

"At ease, Peries. So, tell me, how do you find our hangar's facilities?" She asked Soma.

"They're top of the line, as expected. I'm also rather intrigued at the eclectic collection of suits. Is that not one of the Gundam Throne units?" Soma went straight to the point of her curiosity.

"Ah, indeed it is. We're the ones who managed to obtain it back then. Captain Colasour in particular." Kati informed her.

At the same time as Soma turned to see Patrick blush and rub the back of his head again, Nena visibly tensed. Silently she thanked Kati for not revealing more than necessary. But Soma wouldn't let go.

"Whatever happened to the pilot? Surely he's in jail or executed." She said with the delicate touch of a bull in a china shop.

Smirnoff clearly cringed at that, while Kati hesitated for a moment. "Ah, well...not quite. That is to say..." In a very rare moment for her she floundered.

Nena finally decided she wouldn't have Kati take the blows for her, she'd face the heat with her head held high. "That would be me, Lieutenant Peries. Former Celestial Being operative, Nena Trinity, at your service." She mockingly did a bow towards Soma, who just seized her up again.

"Well!" Patrick acted quickly to try and defuse the situation. "I say, the tour is almost finished and dinner time is approaching. I'd be most honored to invite you all to my home, and for you to allow me to prepare a meal worthy enough!" he offered.

Taking the lifeline as quickly as Patrick tossed it, Sergei replied. "We'd be the ones honored! Of course we accept."

Kati added further. "Yes, that'd be appropriate. Also, Smirnoff, I have some matters to consult with you about, if you don't mind."

"Not at all, not at all. Well then, Peries, let us get our belongings ready." He called for Soma's attention.

Almost as if nothing had happened, Soma turned from Nena and followed Sergei. "As you command, Colonel."

Left behind, Kati watched them go, while Patrick put a hand on Nena's shoulder. "You ok there, Nenners?" He asked.

Strangely enough, Nena didn't seem bothered in the slightest after participating in the staring contest with Soma. She just placed her own hand over Patrick's and replied. "I feel like Soma and I are more alike than what it seems." Was all she said while looking at the silver haired girl walk away by Smirnoff's side.

* * *

The meal had been everything Colasour had promised and more, Sergei thought. He even got to watch his surrogate daughter eat completely focused on the food, savoring every bite. Once they finished, Patrick had gone to the kitchen to prepare some tea and biscuits, leaving the two colonels, Soma and Nena at the table.

"Well then, regarding the subject I want to discuss with you..." Kati trailed off, then directed her eyes conspicuously towards Soma, but for enough time for Sergei to realize what she was implying.

"Ah yes, certainly. Peries, perhaps you can ask Trinity here about the questions you had back at the plane?" Sergei told Soma, attempting to remove the younger people from the conversation for the time being.

Unfortunately, Soma wouldn't take the hint. "Wouldn't it be more efficient to ask Colonel Mannequin since she'd be more familiar with the area, sir?" She tried.

Nena just sighed and stood up, grabbed Soma's wrist then turned around and pulled her away from the dining room, to leave Patrick and the colonels by themselves. "C'mon, dummy, that's code for 'Go play somewhere else while the grownups talk'." She helpfully informed the oblivious girl.

Allowing herself to be pulled away and changing her expression to a mystified one, she replied. "Ah, certainly!" A beat passed and the last thing Sergei and the others heard was "Did you just call me 'dummy'?"

Sergei couldn't help but put on a mixed expression of amusement and mortification. "We're still working on her social skills, I'm afraid." He excused Soma to his peer.

"I could say the same about Nena's sincerity. But no matter," She started. "I'll go straight to the point: what do you think about the A-Laws initiative, Colonel Smirnoff?"

Patrick came back from the kitchen holding a full tea service for three while Sergei thought of his answer. "That's indeed a delicate one..." he said to fill the silence, then quietly thanked Patrick for the tea. "I won't beat around the bush either, then, I don't like it. I think it's just an excuse for strong-arm politics towards whoever doesn't agree with the path the governments want to lead us to. I've always thought we, as the military, exist to protect our people and their interests. And sometimes their interests are not the same as the leaders' interests." He sipped his tea, and risked a guess. "You've been asked to join them?"

'As expected of Smirnoff' Kati surmised. "Not quite, or not yet, at least. I must say I've come to the same conclusion. Perhaps not for the same reasons, but it still feels like this won't end well." She covered her cup with her hands. "Unfortunately with the information we have it's not like I have much of a choice but wonder. For now, we'll see." She took a sip from her tea.

Patrick remained silent, absorbing what was being said. While he had already decided he'd follow Colonel Mannequin wherever she went, he was a bit worried as well, and even more now that he saw it wasn't only his beloved colonel's suspicions but also Smirnoff's. They were very smart people after all.

After hearing about Mannequin's thoughts on the matter, Sergei decided it would be fine to let her know. "There's already quite a bit of unrest among the HRL's army upper echelons. Some rather experienced and admirable high-ranked officers disagree with the formation of A-Laws, specially since its hierarchy seems to be filled by virtual unknowns. For instance, have you ever heard of a 'Ribbons Almark'?"

"I can't say I have."

"He's being listed as a 'tactical advisor'. What has many of us on the cautious side is that no one even knows what this person looks like. Is it an alias? Where is he from? And some of the officers they're including are no better. 'Revive Revival', 'Healing Care'. What does this all mean?" He let the information sink in.

Patrick wondered who the hell named their child 'Revive Revival', but remained silent and drank his tea.

"What, indeed..." After savoring more of her tea, Nena's very loud laughter suddenly reached her ears, making her turn in surprise towards where the girls were.

Sergei closed his eyes and smiled. "Seems the young ones are getting along marvelously, after all."

Kati let a sigh out of her lips. "I just hope Nena's behaving, she can be quite a handful."

"You almost sound as if she was your child." Sergei observed.

"That's a little too close for comfort yet I can't quite deny it." Kati conceded. The thought of Nena made her think of the Drei, and then of the GN-XIII energy drives. A sudden leap of logic reached her as she realized. "Of course..."

"What is it?" Sergei inquired, then took a bite out of a marmalade-covered biscuit.

"What you have just told me might be a clue to guess a certain generous sponsor's origin."

* * *

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't call me that. I'm still your superior." Soma told her freckled companion. She thought some manner of decorum was needed and calling your superior officer 'dummy' was certainly not proper.

"I didn't mean it like that. Also, one: we're not even in the same army, not yet and, two: we're not at the base, we're at my house. Chill out, man." Nena simply kept walking towards the apartment's entrance with Soma's wrist in her hand.

"'Man'? I am a woman." She had to correct her. But she also feared the redhead had a sight problem, perhaps she needed prescription glasses?

"Oh. My. God. Look, " That finally made Nena stop. She grabbed Soma's face, to her great surprise. Caught off guard, she didn't move to take them off of her. "I kinda like you, but I'm also starting to think you need a punch. To the face. C'mon, Soma, work with me, stop being such a stick in the mud, please?" Nena pleaded.

"I..." she tried, finally placing a hand over one of Nena's, slowly taking it off of her face. "I apologize. I still haven't had much time to interact with other people my age and Colonel Smirnoff has never really felt bothered by it. Perhaps we should start over again?" she suggested.

Nena smiled at that. She kind of had an idea why Soma was like she was and couldn't help but relate to it. "We'll get along nicely, you'll see." She took a seat at the small step leading into the apartment, mentally complaining at how the uniform's skirt was uncomfortable to sit with, while Soma remained standing at the open entrance, her hands at her back supporting her against it, with the back of the hands on her buttocks. "So! Might as well get to know each other a bit. Is Smirnoff your lover or something?" she candidly asked, while resting her head on her clasped hands.

That made Soma lose her footing. "W-What?! No, of course not! While I'm really fond of the colonel, he's more like..." she trailed off. What was the colonel to her?

"Yeeeeees?" Nena pushed.

But Soma did know. "He's like a father to me. I'll forever be grateful to him for taking me under his wing and trying to give me some semblance of normalcy. Were it not for that, I don't think I would have survived this long." She took her previous spot again, and directed her own question at the redhead. "It's my turn. Then is it true that you're a former Celestial Being agent?"

"Talk about reprisals. Yeah, " she did feel a bit uncomfortable. But then again, she was already paying for it, even though she still felt like she had gotten away cheap. "I worked for the bad guys. Does that make you feel uncomfortable around me?" She hesitantly turned towards Soma.

"I won't deny I have my history with them, but regarding you in particular, it seems you're trying to turn over a new leaf. I classify you at a low danger level. I'll simply remain cautious towards you, for now." she admitted.

Her smile faltered in resignation. She supposed she couldn't fault her. "I guess that's fair. I did do some crazy stuff." 'To put it mildly' She thought.

"My turn again." Soma started.

"Hey, It's supposed to be my turn now!"

"Not true. You asked if I felt uncomfortable around you." The silver-haired girl retorted.

Nena opened her mouth to complain, then closed it. "Oh right...damn, you're sneaky."

That made Soma smirk in satisfaction. "Well then. Um..." What could she ask this time? "What do you like to do on your free time?"

A double take was Nena's reply, followed by "You're not a very curious person after all, huh? Whatever, that works for me. I'm actually pretty boring, I read books, listen to music, play videogames, pester Patters..."

"Patters?"

"Yeah, uh, y'know, Patrick? Patrick Colasour." she clarified. "And I'll give you that one as a freebie since I'm such a sweetheart."

"You're quite sneaky as well." Soma praised.

Nena raised her head in pride, with her eyes closed. "Yup! And now I'll ask..." She wondered if she could get away with this one. "You're a genetically engineered soldier, aren't you?"

Once again, Soma was taken off-guard. Sneaky was a great understatement. "T-that's classified." she stuttered.

"I'm one, too." Nena looked towards the outside, letting that sink in.

That made Soma slowly sit down right next to Nena on the step. "You are?" she tried.

"Yeah. I was crafted solely to ride the Gundam Drei. And I did so until..." Nena recalled that fatidic day. It would never get easier, but at least she could handle it now. She raised her head, this time to gather strength. "I did so until I was caught by the AEU. I guess I still had my brothers to learn a bit about interacting with others but, it's not quite the same, y'know? We're more alike than what it seems, you and me. I just fake it better."

Soma considered that. She reflected that perhaps the only difference was that she was sanctioned by a government, while Nena was not. In the end, they both were created and born to pilot a mobile suit and kill as much as possible. Were it not for Colonel Smirnoff she'd still be nothing more than a tool. She figured it was quite similar with Nena and Colonel Mannequin and Captain Colasour. "I see. I think I understand."

"Well, you're up again."

She decided to lighten the mood, and perhaps deliver some payback. "Is Captain Colasour your lover?"

Nena stared incredulous at Soma. For what seemed like an eternity she remained that way, and Soma wondered if she had stepped out of line. Then Nena started laughing loudly. "AHAHAHAHAHAHA! OH GOD, SOMA!" She grabbed Soma's shoulder while laughing, tears on her eyes. "Oh god...you're awesome, Soma." She started to calm down a bit, wheezing.

"Uh..." Lost as for what to say in such a situation, the so-called 'super soldier' stammered.

"No, no, sorry. It was just, man. I haven't laughed like that in a while. Sorry, Sommy, It's just how ridiculous the notion was." She rubbed her new friend's shoulder as to reassure her. "Haaaaa, he's like a dumbass older brother of mine. He takes care of me, yeah, but neither him nor I have ever thought about the other romantically. Besides, even if I did, he's pretty much Kati's pet."

"Oh, I see." She supposed they had truly quite a bit in common. Then something Nena said dawned on her. "Sommy?"

"Yeah! You don't mind, I hope? Let's be friends, I do like you." she extended a hand towards Soma.

It also dawned on her that this would be the first friend she had ever made. Feeling something similar to what she felt towards Colonel Smirnoff but not quite the same, she took Nena's hand. "I'd love to, uh...Nenny?"

"You don't need to force yourself, I just nickname people sometimes, when I feel like it. I guess that means you don't mind, tho'." Nena grinned.

"No, I don't." And then she smiled, as she rarely did. "My friend."

* * *

"This was a very productive trip, but I'm afraid we must depart. Our plane leaves early in the morning." Sergei informed his hosts. "Thank you for a most pleasant evening."

"The pleasure was ours, Colonel Smirnoff. Hopefully we'll see you again sooner rather than later." Kati told both Smirnoff and Peries, while shaking the former's hand. The taxi that would take them to their hotel was waiting nearby so she thought it wouldn't be proper to make it wait any further.

"Try to visit sometime, even if it's not for work, 'kay?" Nena told Soma, then remembered something. "Oh right! Write up your contact address here." She took out her pocket terminal, and handed it to Soma.

"Right, let's see..." She tried to remember for a moment, then she realized she had never needed one. She turned her eyes as if lost towards Colonel Smirnoff, asking for help.

"Ah, I'm afraid we haven't gotten around to doing that so I'll just write up yours on my device and then she'll contact you. Are you alright with that?" Sergei asked Nena.

"Oh yeah, ok." She took her terminal from Soma then sent her own contact information to Sergei's. "There we go. Alright then, you guys have a safe trip!" Nena grinned and threw two thumbs up.

"Until later, then." Sergei smiled, then nodded and walked to the taxi, carrying both his and Soma's luggage. Soma remained behind facing Nena, with her eyes to the ground, as if wanting to say something. She couldn't quite put it to words, the strange feeling of comradery and endearment. Then she felt Nena's hands enveloping hers and she looked up.

"Yeah, I know. Me too. But this is a promise to meet up again, ok?" Nena told her as if reading her mind. It was surprising how accurate that was.

"Ok." Soma replied, and squeezed Nena's hands. She released her after that and turned to join Sergei, a slight feeling of longing lingering in her, but quickly diminishing with the thought of her promise with her new friend.

Once the taxi was turning the curve nearby, Nena noticed only Patrick remained with her, Kati having removed herself from the scene politely already. "Dude, you guys really connected, huh?" He asked her, smiling warmly.

"It's funny, you know? The more I live like this, the more I start making new relationships with people. But this is the first time I feel so connected to someone, like she's a person I can trust with anything." 'Maybe since we have a similar background?' She wondered.

"That's cool, having true friends is awesome. Maybe this is some super-soldier bond kind of thingie." He wondered, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Maybe we're gonna start our team of super-soldiers and save the Earth, like in those animes of yours." She grinned mockingly at Patrick, crossing her arms.

"I'm trying to be serious here and you make fun of me. Real classy, Nenners." He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at Nena.

"Aw, did I hurt your feelings, baby Patwick? You know I wuv you, dummy." She did a combo of side-pokes and a bop to Patrick's head.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's head back. Maybe the Colonel will accept our offer to eat that icecream I got stashed with us." He passed an arm around Nena's shoulders to stop her playful poking and walked back home with her.

* * *

Even as Anew walked towards Regene Regetta's chambers she tried to understand herself 'Why do I feel compelled to seek his approval?' He had provided her with the necessary raw materials to practice her new cooking skills, and as such she had produced the finished product called 'cookies'. She supposed the general idea behind her impulse was to show her supervisor her progress. She gently knocked his door and awaited an answer.

"Come in." Regene called from behind the door.

"Good day, Regene Regetta." She started. "I have brought my finished product, to see if it is palatable enough. Even if I followed every step of the instructions as faithfully as possible, I require a second opinion. At least that's what the tutoring has taught me." Anew extended the plate to him, offering the chocolate-chip covered cookies.

'Probably part of the persona that's being ingrained in her' Regene mused, but grabbed a cookie nevertheless. Innovades were used to simply consuming a mixture that provided all the necessary energizing substances they'd require in a day. As such, the flavors that invaded Regene's mouth once he took a bite were something unexpected, to say the least. The issues he was trying to solve, the confusion Nena Trinity had caused in him and the plans that had gone tumbling down as a result. The continuous contempt he felt towards Ribbons for straying from Aeolia Schenberg's plan. All of that took second, third or further place from the new sensations he was receiving. "W-what IS this?" He wondered out loud.

Anew was taken aback by the reaction. From the many ways she was taught a recipient of her cooking would react, this was most resembling of a bad one. A feeling of concern and unworthiness crept inside her. Something very bizarre for an innovade filled her: insecurity and fear. "Are they...not good?" She asked.

"I have never felt this sensation in my life. It appears like unused pleasure receptors suddenly started working. What did you call these, cookies?" He grabbed another one, greedily.

"Indeed. To be honest I haven't even tried them myself. Perhaps I should have done that first." She took one on her own. And then she felt it. A torrent of pleasant sensations filled her mouth and brain, the chocolate chips attacking her taste receptors relentlessly. She closed her eyes to savor it, placed a hand to her cheek, then her eyes went wide open. "W-what IS this?"

"I know!" He also felt something else he had never felt before, comradery, at seeing his fellow innovade go through the exact same experience he had just gone through. He grabbed yet another cookie. "But how? I learned about the pleasure of eating but this is ridiculous! I must further look into this." A mild bout of euphoria took over him as he grabbed another cookie.

"These are dangerous." Anew concluded, struggling to contain her yearning for another cookie. "They're only effective as calories for energy deprivation. In excess, they can make a body gather the unused nutrients in its midriff, especially on females. As I understand, that's not a pleasing appearance in a mate for the average male." She had been taught she had to look as pleasant as possible to qualify as 'beautiful'. So drilled inside her head it was that the struggle to not fill her mouth with cookies was a mighty one.

"I can see that. Submerged in the feelings of pleasure I forgot myself and grabbed one after the other without noticing. I have consumed more calories than I'd ever need for today. Or tomorrow for that matter." He grabbed another cookie. "I...I can't stop!" These cookies were truly scary, why, they could even make someone not think straight and...

"That's it!" He realized. "Anew Returner, I have your first assignment as an Innovator operative." He announced with as much authority as a very young looking man with cookie crumbs around his mouth could muster.

"Yes, this is so exciting!" Perhaps from the sensory overload she reacted in a way unbecoming of an innovade. Her first true assignment would come. Time to put her skills to use for the Great Work to progress.

"You will use the best of your skill to produce a batch of cookies, with which I'll make one of our targets lower their guard. Needless to say, excellent flavor and appearance are paramount to the success of this mission. They must be so tasty the target will cry in joy. The target is a female, around your physical age. Assume sweet tooth tendencies. Do you have any questions?" He licked some crumbs from his lips once he finished communicating Anew's orders.

"No, Regene. It shall be done." She bowed.

"Then commence, and notify me once it is." As she motioned to take the plate of cookies away and leave, Regene reacted with the speed of an expert pilot, placing a hand on her arm and stopping her. "Leave the cookies." He glared.

* * *

Well then, there we have it. I really liked writing this week's chapter because I love Soma to death and I like seeing those silly innovades experiencing stuff they have no business experiencing. Hopefully you enjoyed it as much as I did. Like every week, I appreciate your criticism, comments, reads and words of encouragement, or even if you just wanna say hi. I'll see you guys next week, when stuff moves even faster than on the series. Please, look forward to it!


	8. Set into motion

A little late but here we are, chapter 8 of 'A Streak of Crimson' is live. Thanks for the reviews, I'm glad some of you are enjoying it (or at least I hope most are!). I went back and found the time to fix the first chapters and do some minor tweakings here and there. They're pretty much the same but some words got purged and others moved around. Basically the same thing but easier to read. Anyways, let's get this week's chapter starting!

* * *

**Chapter 8 - Set into motion**

"Hey there, buddy!" Nena greeted Soma over her laptop at home. The silver-haired girl had finally gotten around obtaining some personal contact information. Those were the kind of things that Sergei himself never cared or bothered too much about, and so, Soma didn't either. But now that she had one more person to keep in touch with, it was pleasant to be able to talk to her friend whenever she had a free moment.

"Greetings, Nena Trinity, how do you fare?" Soma greeted back.

Nena raised an eyebrow, then thought of a little teasing she could use to make Soma start using more casual language, at least around her closest people. She dropped her voice an octave and sat completely straight, making her right index finger and middle finger surround her eye as if they were a monocle. "Why, most pleasantly so, thank you very much, Miss Soma Peries." She pantomimed bringing up a cup of tea to her mouth and noisily 'sipped' from it. "My sweet, darling lady has taken the little ones to the academy, but I'm sure she will return anon. It will be most pleasing to see you, for her. Yes."

"Are you making fun of me? I'm still working on it." Soma crossed her arms and slumped. At seeing that from where he was reading the newspaper, Sergei couldn't help but chuckle.

"You know I do it because I love you, hun." Nena dropped the charade, her mission accomplished. "So, what's new? How're things over there?"

Taking it in stride, Soma completely forgot about the mocking from a moment ago and smiled. "Things have been rather relaxed here, actually. With the reassignments and hierarchy accommodations that integrating the Federation's armies entail, one would think it'd get busier. But it seems the higher ups decided to give some of us time to rest and recover. They gave the Colonel and I a two month's vacation time."

"Dude, that's awesome! Hey! Why don't you come stay a week over here, then?" Nena jumped on her seat at the excitement.

"That does sound fun. One second." She turned around to face Sergei. "Excuse me, Colonel?"

Sergei raised his head from the newspaper and folded it to pay attention to Soma. "You know, you should call me Sergei when we're not on duty." He patiently reminded his protegé with a smile.

The reminder made Soma smile and she started again. "You're right, Sergei. Say, Nena has just invited me over to her house for a week's vacation. May I go visit her?" She placed her hands on her lap. Nena appeared to be filing her nails on the screen, as a background to the conversation.

"I don't see why not. It should do you much good to visit your friend and get to know the AEU on a pleasure visit instead of business." He nodded once, closing his eyes. "Yes, we'll get it done."

"Thank you, Sergei." She bowed slightly, then turned around to face the screen again. "Sergei says it's ok. When should I go?" She informed Nena.

"I'unno, this saturday? That's in like 3 days, right?" Blowing on her nails, she proposed the date.

"Shouldn't you ask Captain Colasour first?" Soma cautiously consulted with the redhead.

"Pfft, it's my home, too. Also, like he'd say no." She shrugged. Then thought of it better. "On second thought, I guess it doesn't hurt that all involved are on the know. PATTEEEEEEEEEERS!" She turned her head to the side and yelled to call Patrick over. Soma winced slightly at that while Sergei raised an eyebrow.

"COMING!" A distant yell sounded from Soma's laptop's speakers. Those two sure were siblings for not being blood-related, she thought.

"'Sup? Oh, hey Soma!" Patrick bent a bit to fit on the laptop's camera's range to wave at Soma. He was wearing what appeared to be a pink frilly apron and a cloth on his head.

"Greetings, Capt-" She quickly corrected herself when Nena quickly made the 'monocle' gesture at her. "I mean, Hello, Patrick."

"Is it cool if Soma comes stay with us for a week?" Nena asked Patrick, grinning.

"Sure thing! When's she comin'?" He threw a thumbs up at the screen.

"This saturday." Nena informed him.

"Oh, ok. We'll have to get some stuff for our guest today, then. Man, this is gonna be so much fun! You'll have a lot of fun, Soma!" He threw both thumbs up at the screen this time while grinning.

Soma smiled at that. She threw a thumb of her own towards the screen, mimicking Patrick. "I look forward to it."

"Alright! Well, I'll leave you girls to your call. Tell Colonel Smirnoff I said hi! Laters!" He waved at Soma then disappeared from the screen.

"That's settled, then." Nena spoke in turn. "Make sure you pack for the beach, then. I'll be taking you to the sea!"

"T-the sea?" The plan took Soma by surprise. She didn't even have swimsuits of any kind. "I, uh. Alright, I suppose..." She dejectedly gave up, reflecting that a determined Nena was pretty much as stubborn as a mule.

"Yeah, girl! This is gonna be awesome!" She threw her arms up in early celebration. Then an alarm sounded from her phone, which she promptly picked up and turned off. "Oh, I guess it's time I meet up with my team. We're putting the finishing touches on our final project. Maybe I can pull you with me on the week to show it to you."

"I'd love to see it." Soma assured her friend, smiling.

"Alrighty, then. See you in a few days! Many hugs!" Nena closed the call while winking and waving goodbye.

"How did it go?" Sergei approached Soma once he noticed she was done with her call, then drank from his cup of coffee.

While looking to the distance, she replied. "I need to go buy a swimsuit and I need help for that."

Sergei turned to the side and spit the coffee in shock.

* * *

Days seemed to go by in a lull lately for Louise. Her stays in the hospital were long, dreadful business, and not even the money and power of what was left of the Halevys fortune was being enough to find some way to cure her amputated hand. And in the early days it brought so much pain and sorrow she'd usually cry herself to sleep.

In short, her life sucked incredibly bad.

Most of the days she'd simply stare at the outside from her hospital bed, try to watch TV, try to read a book on her notepad and, when she was not being utterly bored, she'd sometimes think of Saji and cry again. Thankfully, today was book day so she only had to focus on her reading while waiting for the doctor to come back and let her know if she could return home.

A knock on the door distracted her from her reading. "Come in." She called.

* * *

This day seemed to go by in a lull for Regene. He had been utterly defeated by a human. A genetically engineered one, by Ribbons nonetheless, but still a mere human. Someday in the future he'd realize it wasn't that bad of a thing, to be outwitted by humans, for they were not as inferior as he thought. But this day was not the future yet. And so, he fulfilled his duty just barely going through the motions.

At least he had a bag of Anew's cookies in hand.

Most of the days he'd simply plan out his schemes to fulfill Aeolia Schenberg's plan and barely finish the assignments Ribbons gave him, to show the minimum of loyalty. It wouldn't do for Ribbons to realize what was going on behind his back before Regene's own plan gave fruit, after all. Thankfully, today's assignment was a simple pick-up and deliver so he only had to focus on getting it done and then he'd be able to take some time to gather on his thoughts and begin once more.

He knocked on the hospital room's door and waited. "Come in." He was called.

* * *

The man that entered Louise's room looked more like a boy than a man. He was wearing what appeared to be a simple gray cardigan and jeans combo, with some big-ass glasses on his face. The purple mop of hair, though, really looked weird and she had to wonder if he was some sort of rock star with terrible casual-clothes sense that came to cheer on her as part of some long-forgotten wish she had made when she was younger. That guess was quickly squashed when he simply sat on the nearby chair and took a cookie from his bag, munching.

He lifted the open bag towards her as if in offering, but said nothing.

"No, thanks." She told him. The guy lowered the bag and shrugged, while staring at nothing in particular as if he was some savant idiot, trying to figure out the meaning of life or whatever.

After sometime she decided she had given him enough time to start talking, so she asked. "Um, who are you? Do we know each other?"

"No, we don't." He finally spoke, even though his reply only made her guess of 'savant idiot' stronger. He sighed deeply, and then closed the bag, then Louise noticed the notepad under his arm when he started tapping on it. Since it seemed like he was finally resigning himself to something, she waited for him to state his business.

He licked a stray crumb from his lower lip, then cleared his throat. The change on demeanor was instantaneous. "Greeting, Louise Halevy. I have come to offer you an end to your suffering." He said.

That startled her hard. "Did...did you come to kill me?" She asked, scared.

"What? No! Why would you come to that guess?" He did a double take, then reflected on what he had said. Truly, the defeat he had suffered was ruining his other activities as well. He sighed again, then tried to start over. "No, I'm offering you to help with your hand and to exact revenge."

This only brought more questions than answers, although it helped calm her fear. "What? How? The doctors say my hand can't regenerate."

The acceptance of their lesser healing arts' inadequacy did wonders to Regene's quickly dimishing humor. "Ah! But we're not mere doctors, I come representing an organization that has greater advances in science and technology than your average human being. We are..." He paused for a moment to think of a monicker, then twisted it up for suspense. "...the Renovation Initiative."

"That sounds so suspicious I'd guess you're just planning to harvest my organs or whatever." Louise stated.

"Why must you be like this, all the time?" Regene stomped in frustration. Louise guessed he didn't mean her in particular, for he had just met her today. That made her realize she didn't even know his name. "Who are you, anyways? You haven't even told me your name and that only makes you more suspicious."

Regene realized that was true enough, so he complied. "Oh, right. I'm Regene Regetta. Pleased, I'm sure." He pointedly didn't offer his hand this time, either.

"Not...quite, but ok." Louise retorted.

"Tch." He clicked his tongue. "Well, no matter. No, we have no interest in your organs. We're interested in helping you. I suppose you would need proof for that so, let's do it like this: I'll offer you the cure for your hand, no strings attached. And then you'll decide if you want the second part of our offer. All I ask in exchange is a chance to demonstrate our good will. How does that sound?" He tried to smile but it only looked like an arrogant smirk to Louise.

She reflected that there was not a lot she could lose. It wasn't like they could claim the Halevy fortune just by having her, let alone killing her. If they knew this much about her then they knew they'd need her alive for that anyways. While this guy was rather weird, to say the least, he kind of put her off. But she guessed the worst that could happen was that she'd actually receive reprieve from her pain, just in a permanent way.

"Alright, I'll give you your chance. When will we do this?" She replied with the most determination she had had in years.

"Today, if you wish. I'll make the necessary arrangements as soon as you say so." He offered.

"Yes. Today is good. I'm tired of this." She raised her stump to look at it in disdain.

"So be it." He turned around to go make the preparations, then stopped and offered the cookie bag again. "Sure you don't want one? They're delicious."

* * *

The hall, where the most powerful men and women in the world gathered to finalize the reestructuring of their countries' governments into the federation, was ominously barely lit. Some people would justify it as the only way all these people could discuss without letting their fears and emotions betray them to their peers. Yet some other people would simply say this was the expected way to conduct world-shaking meetings in. In any case, the unanimously proclaimed first chairman, the former President of the Union, spoke up to start the meeting.

"We will now commence the sixteenth summit of representatives of the Earth federation. In our agenda, we will finalize the economical, geopolitical and military treaties, as well as the final decisions regarding the Autonomous Peacekeeping Forces initiative. According to the previously agreed-on order of speech, Madame Yang of the former HRL's China will begin." He took his seat.

"Thank you, Mister Chairman. My fellow representatives, as you know, the former HRL has always been reluctant to accept the 'A-Laws' initiative, we're very commited to our people and our people's sovereignity over our affairs. But recently, it has come to our attention that the nations that refuse to join the federation are willing to take a most radical stance against the establishment of neither a world government, nor a world police. As such, and with reluctance, the presently attending members of the former HRL have decided to support the 'A-Laws' initiative, to finally commence the establishment of the federation without further issue. This I say with the approval of my fellow former HRL's members and with the greater interests of our people in mind. Thank you." Madame Yang finished, and took her seat.

Murmurs rose among the hall as she finished. It was expected that the HRL would never abide to the A-Laws but to see them finally submit to the necessity spoke of some great deterrent. Unbeknownst to most representatives, a display was currently lit with the one remotely employing it, only the visage of Ribbons functioning as his attending presence, his eyes closed and nodding to Yang's declaration. "Order, please." The chairman said with authority. "Well, we were expecting for the debate to be longer than this, but I suppose that means we can take our lunch sooner, right?" He joked to defuse the tension, which thankfully worked as some chuckles were heard. "Very well, then. As it was stated in the initiative's draft, Mister Almark will function as our primary tactical advisor and now that it has been mostly accepted by all federation members, we can proceed to the initiative's signing and execution. You are with us remotely, is that not so, Mister Almark?"

"Indeed, Mr. Chairman." Ribbons' voice was heard in the hall, to the surprise of most of the representatives. There was some silent but tacit understanding that this mysterious man had demonstrated superb forecasting and aid when the world was on the brink of chaos from the fall of Celestial Being. What the public didn't know was that the three political super powers were close to breaking into all out war once the terrorist organization had fallen, both from the internal issues they were having and the strain it had put on the world's militaries. Only by his genius had the worst been avoided, yet the storm was not yet breached. And that's when he had presented himself with the initiative. In a saner, less violent world it would've never come to pass but as things were...

"Let's be done with this, then." The representative for the former AEU's France rose and took his pen, then signed as if he was signing his death sentence. His eyes briefly made contact with the display where Ribbons was witnessing the proceedings and glared, only to quickly withdraw his stare and take his seat. One after another, all the representatives signed, some less reluctantly than others, for different reasons. Ribbons Almark had truly worked hard for this to happen and in many different ways.

Once the turn arrived for the Chairman to sign, he managed to fake his best political smile in his entire career. 'God, help us.' He pleaded in his mind.

Ribbons smiled once the A-Laws initiative was finally given life.

* * *

A long, long time ago, back when Aeolia Schenberg came up with the idea of Veda he set out to develop the greatest, most advanced artificial intelligence that mankind had ever known. For all intents and purposes he had succeeded and the further work done on it only served to make it more and more perfect. Yet, as everything that humans do, it still had some flaws, as minute as they were. Certain patterns of information, routes of data and queries would interfer with others with the probability of one in a billion.

Anew discovered that day the occurence of a one in a billion event.

As she received the last of the most recent tutoring program on cooking, where Veda taught her to bake a most delicious chocolate cake, filled with chocolate filling, covered in chocolate cream and with chocolate chips, she glanced a query that frankly she should've never been able to see, at least not without knowing what she was looking for. Something about TAU Drive acceleration. She considered herself an authority on TAU Drives already, after she had finished the engineering program and her practice had only made her even more confident. Perhaps because of that she connected herself to that particular session. Maybe she could practice by playing at being Veda, this time.

"Maybe I can help you with that query, user?" She commented, as she assumed the position of information server. She decided she could explain it as a new feature of the hundreds Veda developed on a daily basis. She awaited for the user's reaction.

"That's odd. Since when does Veda talk like that?" Nena wondered, then supposed that didn't change much. Maybe that's what they mean by 'user friendly'. "'Sup, Veda. I'm working on an operative system for mobile suits that employ TAU Drives. But I'm stumped right now because the energy flow ain't quite working as fast as I'd like to. This is the Drive I'm working on." Nena sent the data over to Veda.

"Hmmm, interesting." Veda commented, which surprised Nena even more. She knew it was an A.I. but never this conversational. Still, she waited for its answer. "Can you see this part over here?" The display blinked at a certain bit of the diagram. "The connector in your drive is made of an alloy of vanadium and palladium. Now if you..." Anew stopped for a moment. Then decided that if they had access to Veda, she could help them a bit with this piece of a secret she had. "If you use the Reyhart process to convert it to a more crystalline molecular configuration, you should see a great increase in energy transfer."

Perhaps what shocked Nena more than the answer was the fact that Veda had actually hesitated. She remained motionless for a moment, then the most obvious answer that came to mind solidified. And so she queried. "You're a person, aren't you?" She typed.

Anew sat there for a moment without moving. Was she that obvious? Had she made a mistake assuming humans would appreciate a more friendly query server? She supposed she could simply deny it. "I am Veda." She replied.

"No, you're not." Nena typed. "Who are you?" She typed again.

"I, ah..." She felt stumped, which was her last fatal mistake.

"Ah-ha! There! Veda doesn't hesitate! C'mon, who're you?" Nena chose that moment to strike.

Anew then saw a saving throw in the form of an idea. She could just accept the partial truth and it should sound appropriate enough. "I am a test terminal for Veda. Do not worry, The information I can provide has been implanted on me by Veda itself, so you know it is trustworthy."

"Oh, I'm not worried about that. The solution you gave me was so obvious yet so great only Veda's great insight into processes could have made it. Wow, so you're an intelligent terminal, then...hold on. Wait a sec, I wanna see this." Nena decided she could establish a direct link to Veda to behold the terminal by herself, in a way.

"What are you doing? Ah!" What happened took Anew completely by surprise. Somehow this human could communicate directly with Veda and dive into quantum brainwaves. As such, while she couldn't see her physically, she could 'feel' as if she was being seen. Likewise and since the user wasn't making any effort to cloak herself, she could also feel as if she was looking at her, even though that wasn't the case. What she saw was a woman in her late nineteens, approximately. Her long, red hair was tied up in twin tails, her freckled face was beautiful and her eyes were a striking gold. in a way that reminded her of her own people, the innovades, but not quite. She dared a guess from the volume of miscellaneous information she had gotten from her formative basic courses with Veda about the happenings of the world. "Nena Trinity?"

"Sweet, I'm famous." Nena replied. "And hey, they made you cute, cool!" She noticed the terminal's appearance was of a girl around her age, with pretty and short lilac-colored hair. Her reddish eyes looked kind. "What's your name?"

"I am A-" She had made quite a few mistakes already, so she decided at least this one she could dodge. "Alice. Nice to meet you." She took a bow.

"Nice to meet you too, Alice. Is this some new experiment from Veda or something?" Nena wondered, placing an index finger on her lips and looking up.

"Indeed." Anew lied. "It allows Veda to release some processing cycles by using us terminals to reply to the easier queries." She placed an index finger on her lips as well, trying to imitate Nena.

"You're imitating me! I guess that's part of your training, huh?" Nena sounded both excited and curious. If she guessed correctly, this terminal would try to assume human-like behavior to better relate to her users. Or 'its' users? "So, are you full-on computer software or do you have a physical body?"

"I do have a physical existance." Now Anew was thinking on her feet. She supposed this would actually be great training for her future as a spy so she decided to assume the 'experimental terminal' role completely. "The final goal is to have us terminals around for mankind to have easy access to Veda's information. In an advanced form I'd be able to answer any query. Unfortunately, I cannot process complex simulations like Veda but I can be used to link up to it for such means."

"Whoa. That's really sci-fi. We're really in the future. Man, I wish I could tell my friends about this." Nena crossed her arms.

"You can't!" Anew was quick to try and stop her. "This experiment is at its most early stages, uncontrolled data might hamper it!" She pleaded with a lie.

"Oh, don't worry about that. I can't tell anyone about my link to Veda anyways. You know who I am so you probably know why." She winked.

"I'm afraid I only have the most basic information about the world. I know about your involvement with Celestial Being but not why you'd be forbidden to reveal your access to Veda to your siblings." Anew informed Nena.

The mention of her late brothers soured Nena's mood slightly. "Oh, I guess you don't know about that one. Yeah, I'd be allowed to tell my brothers but they're kinda dead now." She shrugged.

Anew scoured through her education, since she was sure there was something she had to say when someone informed her of the demise of their relatives. "I'm sorry for your loss." She recalled.

"It's cool. Been a while already. It never gets easier but at least I can handle it now." Nena realized she was being comforted by what was basically a computer, and that made her chuckle, amused. "You are quite an advanced A.I., Alice. You're pretty cool."

"I thank you." Anew bowed again.

"Man, now I wanna keep talking to you, this is super interesting. But I have to scoot if I'm gonna finish all of my stuff today." It occured to her that maybe she could try and ask. "Um, you think I can connect with you again, some other day?" She put her hands on her back and her best puppy eyes, even if she knew it wouldn't do her any good when asking a computer, as advanced as she was.

"I have your username traced, it should be fine. Here." Anew extended a digital key towards Nena's connection. "If you use this session key administrator, I'll be notified and then see if I can attend you. I cannot promise I always will but, as humans say, it's better than nothing." She smiled.

A file reception chime sounded on Nena's terminal as the key arrived. "This is actually kind of like getting a human friend's phone number. You keep getting cooler and cooler." She grinned at Anew.

"Then the experiment is functioning quite marvelously." She smiled gently, again.

"Alrighty, then. I'll see you around, Alice!" Nena waved and then closed her connection.

Anew was left with a myriad of thought on Nena's wake. Thinking hard about justifying what happened, she crossed her arms. "Now that was rather interesting. All this new information should help me develop the kind, approachable persona more easily." Anew nodded to herself as she rose from her seat. Walking to the newly refurbished kitchen, she thought. "I can't see how this could go wrong."

* * *

In the building that had been designed as the A-Laws Headquarters, General Brigadier Arthur Rainier was going through the possible candidates to join the Autonomous Peacekeeping Forces. Files upon files of the best soldiers the AEU could offer came and went through his terminal's display, as he evaluated and passed the ones he approved for eventual processing and recruiting. He had received a few from the HRL as well, and some licenced officers. Unfortunately the third group couldn't be screened since they came with orders from the higher ups. Nothing to be done about that one.

"Soma Peries. Hmmmm, yes, this one will do greatly." He placed the file in the 'Approved' bin.

He opened another file, of some fresh recruit called 'Louise Halevy'. This one came with great recommendations so she was in a bizarre limbo between licensed officer and regular soldier. He supposed he'd at least give her a chance. He placed the file on the 'Approved' bin.

After a while he started going through the actual licensed officers files and found it was a blissfully small folder this time. Only a 'Regene Regetta' was in it. He mused on the weirdness of the name for a moment, before just letting the thought go, as most of these officers had weird names regardless. He placed the file in the 'Approved' bin.

And finally, he opened a personal folder of his own. There were many mercenaries, non-military pilots and otherwise skilled pilots. He found that his agents had managed to recruit around sixty percent of these candidates. He placed those files on the 'Approved' bin and the rest on the 'Rejected' bin, to his chagrin. He was hoping the recruit rate of these individuals in particular would be higher. Then he stumbled upon a certain file. He rubbed his beard. "It seems I'll have to contact this one personally." He lamented. His schedule would only get tighter now that the A-Laws initiative had been approved and approving candidates was already a time-consuming endeavor. Hopefully this candidate would make it worth his while, though.

He placed the file 'Nena Trinity' on his personal terminal and called it a day.

* * *

Of course the "Reyhart process" ain't a thing, I pulled it out of my ass. I'm not a scientist, sue me. Anyways, I regretfully see that I'll maybe have to skip next week's chapter because I'm just...simply experiencing the dreaded writer's block. See, I already know where I wanna take this but the immediate events are giving me kind of a block as to how to develop them. Also: work. Mainly I dread letting whatever quality the fic has drop, and so if I don't have enough by next sunday and/or I'm not satisifed with it, you know that's the reason why you don't have "A Streak of Crimson" that week. Anyways, I thanks all your reads and gladly accept your reviews, criticism or whatever you wanna tell me by means of a review or a PM if you wish. See ya!


	9. Intermission - A Night to Remember

It occured to me that we don't necessarily need to have full sized chapters when a bit of story comes to me that doesn't quite fit on the current progress of the fic as a whole. As an example, we have this intermission. Not quite a full chapter, not quite just a one-shot, since it needs the context of what we already know to work. And so, you guys get a midweek 'A Streak of Crimson'!** Note that this happens between chapter 7 and 8 of our story.** Warning for dangerous level of sugar and fluff.

* * *

**Intermission - A night to remember**

Andreas adjusted his necktie once again. While it had been Nena who asked him out, he stood his ground and at least demanded to be the one to pick up the other for their first date. If there had been a third party looking at them at that moment they would probably said he actually begged instead of demanded, but thankfully there were none so his version stood. He ringed the apartment's doorbell.

"Coming!" A male voice answered. He remembered what he knew about Nena's brother, Captain Patrick Colasour. An up-and-coming officer of the AEU, he valued his teammates the most. His impeccable record of not letting any of his subordinates die in battle spoke of a kind man that would do anything for his people.

Once the door opened, he saw a man with a gray work apron and what Andreas recognized as modeling putty on his gloves, holding a pair of nippers.

Patrick remembered what was happening tonight, this young man was taking Nena out for dinner. He knew Nena could take care of herself, hell, she was pretty much an adult now. But that didn't stop that brotherly instinct kicking in. He could even swear Johann and Michael Trinity were urging him to make it very clear that his nippers weren't the only sharp implements he knew how to use. "Patters, if it's Andy tell him to wait a bit!" Nena's voice was heard from somewhere in the apartment, up the stairs. Patrick sized Andreas up, then opened the door just enough for him to come in. "You heard the lady, come in." He said in his most menacing voice.

"Thank you, sir." Andreas replied. It wasn't the first time he faced a male relative of a girl he dated. He already knew and could relate to the kind of thoughts and urges that ran through an older brother's veins. After all he was an older brother to a pretty girl, too. He followed closely as Patrick guided him to the living room.

Andreas sat down at the same time as Patrick did. Captain Colasour clasped his hands, leaning forward, the elbows resting on his legs. Then Andreas heard the Captain say. "So, I'll go straight to the point, buddy. What are your intentions with my Nenners?"

"Sir, I just want to take her to dinner and have a good time, for both of us. I believe it's still very soon to know where are we taking it, I'm afraid." Andreas replied as honestly as he could. He empathized with Patrick and thought he deserved the truth.

"Hmph." Patrick grunted. "Well, just let me be straight with you. If anything happens to her, you're gonna have a bad time. I hope I'm being clear here." He sharpened his stare.

Somehow, Andreas could tell this was a new experience to Patrick. And it also was a bit funny if one thought about it. This was Nena Trinity they were talking about, after all. "Sir, with all due respect but, you do know what Nena is like, right? Everything moves at her pace. Why, I have to admit, if we were to pursue a relationship, she'd be the one leading. That's just the way she is." He said with a tinge of admiration. He knew and felt no shame by admitting that he could sometimes be rather submissive. The couple of times he had dated girls were sweet, calming experiences. Nena was nothing like any woman he had ever met. He admired that, and accepted that she was the kind of person that picked you up like a storm.

Yet Patrick felt like he should be incensed by it, so he stood up. "You DARE imply that-" He immediately sat again. "Actually, yeah, I can't deny it. She kinda sets the rhythm whenever she's around people. Man..." He passed a hand through his hair. "Hey, dude, will you be ok?"

"I like that part of her, I have to say I find those aspects of her inspiring. I wouldn't mind following a person like Nena." He replied without hesitation.

"Well, that's a load off my chest." Patrick leaned back, and crossed his arms. Then he half looked at Andreas and warned him. "Anyways, at least I wanted you to know she's my precious little sister."

"I'm glad she has people like you who love her."

"Ahyup. Well, she shouldn't take long now, oh there she is!" Patrick noticed Nena was walking towards the living room. Andreas looked at her and...he was stunned. Nena was a beautiful woman, no doubt about it. She looked good on her officer uniform and bold on her pilot suit. But this was...

"I look that good, huh?" She grinned, while she posed. Then she threw a peace sign and winked. "Well, your reaction was well worth it, deciding on a different dress at the last minute." She then turned to Patrick.

Unbeknownst to the two men, she had heard Patrick try to play the older brother role. She leaned up and gave him a peck on his cheek, feeling grateful. "I'll be going now, big bro'." She smiled warmly at him.

"You two have fun now, you hear?" He grabbed her hands and smiled. Then he grabbed Andreas' shoulder to lead them outside. "Be good, kids."

"No promises! Hey, show me your Flag kit when you finish it, it's looking pretty cool!" She told Patrick.

"You know it!" He pointed a finger at her in approval.

"We're going then, sir." Andreas extended his hand to shake Patrick's, which he promptly took.

"Alrighty, take care!" He nodded.

* * *

"You're very lucky, he really loves his little sister." Andreas commented as he opened his car's door for Nena to get in.

"Yeah..." Was her reply. She knew they were family, but listening to the kind of stuff he said, she could even feel Johann and Michael by his side. "He could have left the agreeing with you part out, tho'." She crossed her arms.

"Wait, what? You heard?" He turned towards Nena.

"Yeeep. So you better be careful or you'll know how sharp his nippers are!"

* * *

I hope you didn't get diabetes from that. I suppose Soma and Nena's moment was fluffy already but this one might have been tempting our sugar intake too much. Anyways, I have some of the next chapter written down! I'm about halfway done, so let's hope I do manage to give you this week's proper chapter and if not, then this is my way of asking you guys to wait for me. See ya!


	10. Pieces of me

I did it. I barely finished like a couple hours ago. While I'm not completely satisfied I feel like it's good enough and some of the stuff that happens in this chapter is really necessary for what's to come. We're on chapter 9 of the first 13, so first half is almost over. As always, thanks for your reviews and words of encouragement! And thanks for the new follows, hope the story continues to entertain you. On with the show!

* * *

**Chapter 9 - Pieces of me**

"So, what's new? How's the project going?" Through this last month, and sort of drawn in by the novelty of it, Nena has taken to contacting Alice in the night, once she was done for the day and when Soma wasn't available for small talk. She had found herself wondering sometimes how would a future where you could have a personal computer that looked like a human walk around with you and help you out be. It'd probably be like a personal man-servant machine. This was like right out of one of Patrick's old animes, the one with the funny-eared girl computers.

"The project has advanced on schedule, thank you." Anew replied "As a matter I'll be given to a para-military organization to aid them in mobile suit development, in about two months. I must say I'm rather excited about it." She honestly told Nena while keeping the little tidbit that she'd be working for the still-alive Celestial Being.

"Wow! Nice, Alice, congratulations! That's gonna be so awesome, those guys will be super lucky to have you around." Nena threw a thumbs up and a wink at Anew. "But, hmmm." Nena considered the situation for a while. "Does that mean I won't be able to contact you again?"

"Oh, it's not permanent." Anew reassured Nena. "It'll last for at least four or five years, yes, but I should be back to my...let's call it 'home' after I'm done there."

"Sweet. Oh well, I'll miss you but at the same time I'm happy for you." She warmly smiled at Anew.

"So will I. You have taught me new things that I'll keep in my memory banks forever, and we still have two months to talk to each other anyways." Anew told Nena. Then she remembered something she was meaning to ask her. She had noticed Regene dejected and sullen, and to be honest, it bothered her slightly. It was one of those things she couldn't quite understand but since it didn't interrupt her duties, she had just let it pass. He felt akin to what her tutoring had described as 'family', a big brother in whom she could rely. It was time she helped him out. "Actually, Nena, I have a question for you." She started.

"Oh? This should be interesting, what's up?" Nena curiously prompted Anew to go ahead and ask.

"You see, there's a...fellow terminal in the installations, someone who's like an older brother to me. He's been rather down on his mood. I suppose a human would say he's been 'blue' lately. It worries me and I wish I could do something for him to cheer him up." She explained.

"Holy. Shit." Nena was taken aback and completely shocked about what she had just heard. "Just...just how advanced are you, Alice?"

"I'm sorry?" Anew couldn't quite understand what Nena had meant.

"It's just-ok, nevermind, give me a second." She supposed that if anyone could pull it off, it would be Veda. She decided to just leave this reflection for later and right now to just help out her cute computer buddy. She took a deep breath to calm down her shocked state and managed to start on her reply. "So you're worried about your big bro'? That's sweet." She gave her praise a sing-song tone. "Admittedly, I don't have a lot of experience on these kinds of things, either, but I've noticed that what sometimes works is to just remind them of the good things. Any idea of what sort of stuff he likes?"

Anew realized she didn't know very much about Regene outside of their sharing of pastries and when she asked him to clarify subjects she had trouble grasping. Then what she could do became quite obvious. "Of course! He loves the cookies and pastries I bake for practice!" She happily told Nena.

"What the hell, you BAKE?!" Nena was once again impacted by shock. "That's it, I'm done. My brain is now checking out, he's got his hat on and he's dropping by the bar." She placed her hands in front of her as if pushing back the news. "Dude, how the hell is that possible?!"

"Well, I do have a physical body, remember? It's a human-like one." She informed Nena as if it was nothing to be so surprised about. At least it provided Anew with examples of how people reacted to shock and surprise.

"And you eat." Nena said as the second implication hit her.

"We can process food, yes. It's not necessary but we can, as an alternate way to obtain energy." Anew replied. Come to think of it, the revelations were getting a bit into dangerous territory. She had to think fast or divert Nena's attention. "Maybe someday I can bake for you." She tried.

"I'd be most definitely interested in seeing how a bio-computer bakes, yeah." Nena made the understatment of the century. "Give me another second..." She pleaded, took another deep breath, and directed a resentful stare towards Anew. "Alice, what the hell, man? You're pretty much a human. For my sanity, I'll just let it slide for now, I suppose."

"That might be a very good idea." Anew smiled, cold sweat sliding down her face.

"So, yeah." Nena started again. "Yeah, bake for your big bro' the best pastry you can make. That should help a bit. Give him a hug or something as well. You know what? I can't handle this right now, you just blasted my sanity away. Imma need a time out so I'll see you later, hun." Nena told Anew, then closed the session, feeling incredibly mentally exhausted.

"Um..." Anew was now experiencing yet another new feeling. If anything, these sessions with Nena were highly educational, teaching her things that a computer like Veda couldn't quite express properly.

It didn't help her diminish the regret at blowing Nena's mind away, though.

* * *

To Ribbons' understanding, very few things could go wrong in his plan. Now that the A-Laws had been approved, he could push humanity further into where he wanted it, every conflict making them approach the point of no return, when he'd have fully have the steering wheel of humanity's destiny. He'd make sure they were prepared for when the dialogues started.

Yet it never hurt to make sure things strayed as little as possible from the script. After he had told Regene his new duties, the purple-haired Innovade had taken to look hurt and turn to the side angrily. It occured to him that it was quite like dealing with a moody teenager. The implications were rather unsettling, to say the least.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Regene pleaded. Ribbons did a double take at that, but followed through in stride.

"This is unbecoming of you, Regene Regetta. I cannot help but wonder what has happened lately for you to break like this." Of course, Ribbons knew. He had placed that backdoor into his innovade's minds, to be easily accesed anytime. As his right-hand man, Regene was a constantly monitored individual so he knew about his ill-fated plans and his meeting with Nena Trinity. In all honesty, it seemed so trivial that he didn't bother to even scold Regene. He kept doing his duties and that's what mattered.

Regene, for his part, quickly reined himself. "I spoke out of order. My apologies, Ribbons." He deeply bowed. "I shall see to your orders as they deserve."

Ribbons simply sighed and rubbed his temple, closing his eyes. "Just keep an eye on Halevy, we need her to at least learn enough in the A-Laws to survive until I need her no more. It won't last for more than three years. I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to not disappoint me on this, Regene Regetta." He finally opened his eyes again, his patience running thin from his subordinate's earlier outburst.

"As you command." Still bowing, Regene replied. After he heard the sound of the display from where Ribbons talked to him turn off, he raised his body. As much as he hated having to join Ribbons' pet police forces, he supposed he could see the silver-lining, and realize what a stress relief it would be to go around killing the idiotic humans that rejected the Federation's policies. Yes, he could take solace in that. Even if the prospect of taking care of that Halevy girl soured everything up even further.

* * *

Nena had agreed to meet up with Riya and Andreas at a bar after the ceremony. Granted, they were still little more than a year away from being able to legally drink, Riya a little closer than the other two, but the occasion deserved it. You didn't get your engineering degree everyday, after all.

"Over here, guys!" She raised her hand up and waved at her friends. A bottle of wine was already waiting for them on the table, acquired with Nena's charm. Riya and Andreas approached her with smiles on their faces.

As Nena stood up, Riya enveloped her in a tight hug, while Andreas placed a hand on both of his friend's shoulders "Oh my God, we did it, Nena! We did it!" She jumped on the spot while locked in an embrace with Nena, yelling in joy at the same time as the redhead. Andreas laughed at the display of affection and happiness and ruffled Nena's hair.

Getting her hair back into place without minding Andreas' previous show of affection, she turned to him and spread her arms. Happily he received the hug, patting her back in camaraderie. "Congratulations, Engineer Trinity, Engineer Bhandari." He smiled at them both.

"Why, thank you, Engineer Biaggi. And to you as well." Nena winked at Andreas. "Let's take a seat, then!" She poured each of her friends and herself the red liquid. "A toast, to our achievement!" She raised her glass while her friends did the same.

"And to our future goals!" Riya added. The three of them drank deep.

"So, what are your plans now?" Andreas asked to both women.

"Well, I wanna keep on studying, but I'll just take it easy for a couple months while I work at the base. We're officers now as well, after all." Nena said.

"Right, right." Riya nodded, her eyes closed and arms crossed. "I'm gonna work over here as well. I actually talked with Colonel Mannequin to see if I could serve in her base, too, and she said it wouldn't be a problem. So we'll be colleagues, Nena!"

"She agreed? Awesome! I actually heard about that, I'm glad we can stay together!" She rubbed Riya's shoulder as she said that. "What about you, Andy?" She asked.

He put his glass down, then looked at Nena. "Actually, I'll start right away. I'm going to the former Union to study and work under the celebrated Dr. Katagiri's guidance. If there's anything to be thankful about the establishment of the Federation is that I can also serve over there." He smiled a bit dejectedly, from letting them know that he wouldn't be around them for a while. He was very excited at working side by side with one of the most brilliant minds from the Union, but he'd be lying if he said he wouldn't miss his two friends.

There was also the fact that he had grown quite fond of Nena, and thankfully she of him, as she had told and demonstrated him.

The drop in the mood was palpable, but Nena decided that was a talk they'd have to have in private, later. "Well, that's a bit sudden, but." She reflected she was actually quite happy for him, even if he'd be away. "Man, that's awesome, congratulations!" She grinned, and grabbed Andreas' shoulder in a friendly manner.

Riya, for her part, tried to defuse the situation. She knew they would talk it out later, after all. "The make very aerodynamic suits over there! The ones from here are fast, but a bit frail. You'll have to let us know the Union's secrets once you're back!" She smiled.

"Most definitely. I'm sure the three of us can come up with something great once we gather our skills." He nodded.

"Best team ever, yeah!" Nena raised her arms in celebration.

The night went by celebrating and remembering about the year they had spent together studying and working. Laughing about Christopher's antics and Lucia's babysitting. Of Alicia's terrible luck. They talked of their teachers and of their thoughts on the recent worldwide events, like the A-Laws initiative passing and the impact on the world's regular military. Once they thought they were done for the day, Riya reminded her friends of the party the next day at Chris' place, then left them.

Andreas told Nena he'd accompany her home, an implication of the talk to come in the air.

Once they got off the cab she stopped at the entrance to the apartment complex and turned to him. "When were you going to tell me?" She asked a bit sadly, looking at him.

He grabbed his shoulder, looked to the side. She gave him the time to gather his thoughts, patiently. Then he looked back. "I pushed the moment back once and again. Even if it's what I've wanted ever since I decided I'd develop mobile suits, I..." He paused. "I also didn't want to just go." He smiled sadly.

"Yeah." She dejectedly turned away.

"If it makes it any better, I got accepted only three days ago." He tried.

She smiled a bit. "Yeah, I guess it does make it a bit better."

He put a hand on Nena's chin, and raised her face to look at his. "I'm not going away forever, you know? And we can meet up when we can, I mean, it's not like planes are disappearing." He grinned.

"Dumbass." She threw herself at him into a tight hug. "I'm gonna miss you so much." She buried her face on his chest, rubbing it against him.

"You have no idea how much I'm gonna miss you, too." He grabbed her waist and her head, putting his chin on the top of her red hair.

"When are you leaving, anyways?" She asked, still pressed against him.

"A week and a half from now." He passed his hand through her hair.

Nena once again thought on how she really was happy for him. Embraced in their hug she thought of the days they spent knowing each other, when she declared they were going to become a couple, much to his surprise. Of when they went out for the first time and when they first kissed. She reflected how different it was when the other person actually kissed you back, how enjoyable. She decided then, suddenly separating from his chest, and grabbing his shirt's collar angrily.

"A week and a half?! Ok, you little dumbass." She pressed her nose and forehead to his while glaring, his face turning from sadenned to scared. "You know what? We're going to your place. Tonight, you're not getting any sleep." She growled.

With the look of a trapped gazelle under the glare of a violent lioness, he could only articulate a monosyllabic, terrified reply.

"Huh?"

* * *

Being under proper shade was an absolute necessity when you were at Krugis, as Soran Ibrahim knew very well. The streets of the village where he was in that moment were well known to him, too, the streets of his old home. It was now attempting to rebuild, as humans often did whenever there was a chance. If you wanted to say anything good about humans, at the very least you could say they were resilient.

Right now he was staying at a little motel, the only one in that town. No one asked and no one cared when he said his name was Mehmet Sahid. If anyone ever remembered him they either didn't want to talk to him or were scared to, and that suited him right. As he entered his room he turned the television set on.

"...while the Federation finished the details on its establishment, various nations have rejected the homogeneization of the world. There has been great pockets of resistance in nations like HRL Vietnam, HRL Mongolia and HRL Nepal, the three of whom have allied to offer a joint front. Chairwoman Yang, with help from the recently formed Autonomous Peacekeeping Forces has issued a statement regarding the decided course of action to expedite the formation of the Earth Federation." A newscaster talked from the TV. The image of some middle-aged chinese woman in front of several microphones replaced him. "Our objective is to pacify these nations so peace can continue. We will start diplomatic talks firstly and only then will we request for the Peacekeeping Forces to aid in pacifying our neighbours."

Soran washed his face in the bathroom as the news sounded from the television, then spit on the sink. He looked at his reflection, examining his reddened eyes. The sands of Krugis coupled with his lack of sleep had cooperated to give him red, swollen capilars inside them. He splashed his face again.

"And now, on kinder news..." The television powered off from Soran hitting the power button on the remote. He dried his face and took a seat on the room's bed. He browsed his phone for new messages, of which he found two. Both were from his contact in the HLR. Hanoi was experiencing a tense situation, while people tried to continue with their normal lives at the same time as military mobilization seemed apparent. The second message said that it was probably a good idea to go check the situation out, for soon it would be very difficult to enter or leave the country. He placed the phone away after reading both messages.

"Lockon, Chris, Lichty, Dr. Moreno. The world still struggles and the rest of us are scattered on the winds. What should I do?" He remembered his fallen comrades. He refused to think of Allelujah as dead as well, even though his mobile suit had been missing since the fatidic day of Celestial Being's fall. Sumeragi had also disappeared without a trace and the last communication he had established with Ian had allowed him to know that Feldt, Tieria and Rasse were alive. He had not contacted them again since.

Soran knew that he needed to continue somehow. The sacrifices made wouldn't allow him anything else. And the tenuous, ill-fated peace was also their fault. His fault. Celestial Being's mission continued still, the purpose of Gundam still ongoing.

Looking to the horizon far away into the sands of Krugis, where he had hidden Exia while he obtained enough resources to repair it as best as he could, he decided that at least he should gather information about these last pockets of resistance against the incoming fascist world state. Without access to Veda every bit of intelligence was precious. Getting inside the storm's eye should yield important information, and allow him to make a choice regarding what he should do next, how to proceed.

He grabbed what little left he had in posession and left the motel.

* * *

"Ok, raise your right arm, Haro." Riya requested of Purple Haro. Nena had lent it for a couple of weeks, both her and Riya wondering if the latter could learn enough about the spherical robot to make another one. As long as she didn't break it, she could pretty much do any tests on it. It helped that she was very good in orbotics and that Haro was actually cooperative. It also helped that she had already started her duties at Colonel Mannequin's base, so she had access to some top-of-the-line tools.

"Alrighty. Alrighty." Haro complied, as its gaze remained firmly on Riya. As far as humans went, this one was pretty decent. She wasn't prone to fury like Nena, nor did she bop it at random times. It didn't damage it but the bops were rather annoying. Besides, Haro was a bit curious to see if she could pull it off, as well.

"I think I got all of your exterior structure down. Now that we have finished making a copy of your O.S., we're reaching the good part. But, are you sure you're ok with it?"

"I trust you. I trust you." Purple Haro reassured its friend. Granted, the risk was high but if anyone could pull it off outside of Celestial Being, it would be her. Haro opened its mouth wide to give Riya access to its inner joints and metal plates.

Riya smiled at the little machine's trust. She admired whoever made it, giving it such an advanced A.I. must've been quite an endeavor. "Alright, here we go. I'm going to need you to shut down temporarily as well, ok?"

Haro's response was to turn off. Then Riya went ahead and started putting it apart, carefully. Piece after piece they were labeled and placed in different containers. She'd draw diagrams of what she saw before separating pieces from the main body, noticing a winged logo on some of Haro's components. She could've sworn she had seen the logo before but couldn't quite remember where. She supposed she could just draw it up and look later. Some of Chief Moretti's guys would sometime turn up and check up on what she was doing, not seeing the point of it but since Colonel Mannequin had said it was alright, they'd leave her be.

As she was about halfway done, Colonel Mannequin turned up. "You seem to be doing quite a bit of progress." She commented once her presence was felt by Riya.

She quickly got up and saluted, nervously. Kati simply extended a placating hand and motioned Riya to sit back down, at the same time as she did. "This is so very interesting, I had never seen a machine quite like this before. Yet it's still easy to understand once you know what you're looking for." Riya smiled.

"You mentioned more robots like this would be very helpful in aiding rookie pilots." Kati crossed her legs and rested her chin on her palm.

"Indeed! They can manage lesser píloting maneuvers, although it'd be probably better for the rookies to get used to piloting normally before having a Haro assistant." She placed her index finger to her lip, wondering if it wouldn't be counterproductive in the long run to have Haros helping all the time.

"How dexterous are with their hands? Perhaps they could also be used for minor repair duties?" Kati asked Riya, while picking up one of Haro's arms from the table.

It was such a pragmatic, obvious application she couldn't believe it had never occured to her. They were indeed rather dexterous, she could even picture a cute swarm of Haros with utility belts floating around in the vacuum of space repairing on the fly. "That's brilliant! Yes, I'm sure they could do it. Colonel, you're a genius!"

Kati smirked at that. "I'm just thinking in terms of logistics all the time. While this activity of yours is almost an 'after-work' thing, I'm sure I can justify it and give you more resources with the myriad applications the Haros can have." The colonel placed a hand on Riya's shoulder. "Well then, keep up the good work. Try not to stay up for too long."

"Yes, ma'am!" Riya stood up once Kati's hand was off her shoulder and saluted sharply. She was so glad Colonel Mannequin was their superior, she was a woman with vision. Once Kati left, Riya resumed her labor. The hours went by, and after about two liters of coffee she was finally done taking Haro apart. It had been quite a lot of work.

She leaned back on her seat, rubbing her eyes. Soon she'd need glasses, she knew so. Looking at the laboratory's roof she gathered on her thoughts.

"I can actually do it." She said out loud, to her surprise. "It's very advanced but I can pull it off." She sat straight again, and, looking at the hour, she noticed it was already rather late. She locked all of Haro's parts containers and called it a day. Tomorrow she'd put it together again and then she'd be able to make a replica. She was sure of it.

* * *

"May I come in, Regene Regetta?" Anew called from behind the door to Regene's room.

"One second." Regene replied. He had been resting when he heard Anew's call, but thankfully, innovades could get right back on their feet at a moment's notice. He rose up and moved towards his room's chair. "Come in." He called Anew.

She promptly did so, taking seat on another chair nearby. "How do you fare, Regene?" She asked, half for small talk, half from real concern.

It still took Regene by surprise that she'd actually care. "Huh?" He managed. Then he immediately assumed it was simply more of her conditioning and education towards the 'perfect housewife' role. "Oh, yes, I'm quite alright. Do not worry about it." That was when he finally paid attention to her and the strange package she had on her lap. "Whatever is that?" He inquired.

"I apologize, Regene, but you don't seem well. And it does worry me. You've been more sullen than usual lately, has something happened?" She deflected the question, for now.

For his part, Regene sighed audibly. "Look, it's nothing you should concern yourself with. Not like anyone can do something about it. Rather, you should focus on preparing yourself for your new duties with Celestial Being. The time grows closer and closer after all."

"I am well prepared for that, thank you." She reassured Regene. She noticed a smirk and a huff, which showed a mix of doubt and amusement in her, admitedly little, experience with Regene's reactions. "Very well then, if you say it's nothing I should worry about, then I will not." Then she finally went on to answer Regene's question about her package. "This is a chocolate cake, I have made it with the best of my skill, in hopes that you'd eat it with me."

That did manage to make Regene react. The young innovade had found himself greatly succeptible for chocolate, specially when Anew made it. It had added hours of physical exercise to his daily routine, to not be affected by the fattening impact of sweets. In his opinion, though, it was completely worth it. "Ch-chocolate cake? For certain?" He eyed the package like a hungry wolf.

Anew proceeded to put the package on the little coffee table between them. As she opened the box, the chocolate's delicious aroma wafted in the room. She also produced a couple plates for the cake, and used the knife that was inside the box to cut it. "I hope it is to your liking."

"Oh yes, definitely. I can't see the reason why it wouldn't be." He replied without taking his eyes off the cake. Anew experienced what could be best described as amusement, and joy, at seeing Regene be so excited about the cake. Nena was right, it did improve his mood mightily.

Regene received his slice of cake happily, and then took a bite off of it with a fork. The taste...was almost like the first time he had eaten a cookie, only ten times over. He audibly moaned at the pleasureable sensations inside his mouth, while gripping the fork tightly. "This is amazing, Anew. It's the best pastry you have made, ever since you started cooking and baking."

"I'm pleased to see it's to your liking." She smiled.

However, the cake reminded him of how they'd soon part ways. On the forefront of his mind was how he wouldn't have easy access to her cookies anymore. And buried deep inside his head, so deep that one would be hard pressed to make him admit it, he'd miss the lilac-colored innovade. He frowned as the thought crossed his mind.

Anew noticed. "Have you found something unpleasant in the cake?" She asked, worriedly.

"No, I was just reflecting on how I won't be getting cookies anymore once we're both gone on our duties." He replied.

"I see...where have they sent you?" She asked Regene.

"I'm to offer support to a rookie girl loaded with money at the A-Laws army. I'm to be a nanny. Me! Reduced to babysitting!" Perhaps having his defenses torn down by the chocolate, he revealed what was weighing him down.

"I'm sure you'll do perfectly. You're good at guiding." She tried.

"Well, yes, of course. I do everything well." He huffed, then remembered Nena. "Well, most everything. Regardless, the girl i'm meant to guard is such a rookie it's infuriating." He munched angrily.

What happened next was something Regene wouldn't have ever imagined happening, at least not from a fellow innovade. They were superior to humans in every aspect and had no need for demonstrations of affection. Yet finding himself wrapped in Anew's embrace made him wonder if maybe, sometimes, it was good.

"You'll be alright, I know you will." She passed a hand through Regene's hair. Nena had been right so far with her suggestions, so the embrace should help even more. She also remembered something else. "If anyone can pull it off it's you, big brother."

If the embrace had left him speechless, the way she had just called him made his eyes dilate to the size of plates. "W-what did you just call me? G-get off of me!" Placing his barriers up again, he forcefully separated himself from Anew.

She couldn't deny it, that had hurt her in some level. "Did I upset you so much?"

"Well no, I mean...yeah! It came out of nowhere! I mean, I guess it's not -that- bad, but keep it at a minimum!" He straightened his shirt, conflicted on wether to reassure Anew or just reject her newly found filial care.

"I understand." She gratefully got the message. She indeed understood, she'd have to express herself a little less towards Regene, but at least he didn't reject her outright.

"Well, that was a good cake but we both have our duties. Do make sure to be ready for when you're called to begin working with Celestial Being." He half-ordered, half-pleaded.

"Indeed. Do have a good day, then." She stood up, and packed the remains of the cake. Once she was at the door, she decided she might as well make him get used to it. "I'll see you around, big brother." She said, straight-faced.

"Agggh!" Was his embarrased reply.

* * *

Apparently, Regene's ten and thinks girls have cooties, maybe. And yeah, I know Setsuna's supposed to just hang around Krugis until S2 but I need him at Vietnam for what's gonna happen soon. The again, this is a fanfic, I suppose. Also, I totally made a Chobits shout out right there at the beginning. You know the drill: your reviews, comments, criticisms and whatever you wanna tell me are appreciated. See ya next time!


	11. Decisions from deep inside

New record for longest chapter! A lot of stuff happens and a turning point is reached. I'm excited at the part we're arriving, and you can expect mobile suit action very soon as a result! Thanks for your reads and reviews! I'm seeing many more hits, that's hopefully new readers. Well then, without further ado, here's this week's "A Streak of Crimson".

* * *

**Chapter 10 - Decisions from deep inside**

Working side by side with Riya was not a new experience for Nena but it was always a pleasant one. People looking from the outside would often say Nena was the moodmaker, while Riya was the one with the encyclopedic knowledge. They had unfortunately lost their third of the team that had bursts of genius but otherwise it didn't come up as often nowadays, since most of their work at the base was maintenance on mobile suits. Peacetime had such an advantage.

"Haro, can you bring me the screwdriver set, please?" Riya called out to Purple Haro.

"I'm on it. I'm on it." Sounded from a room away, while the purple robot searched for what Riya had asked.

"Man, he's much more docile with you than he's with me. He'd usually just tell me to go look for it myself." Nena ruefully confessed. Riya chuckled at the admittance. Once Haro reached Riya she took the screwdrivers and rubbed its top in gratitude.

A soldier entered into the laboratory and looked for someone inside. Once he noticed Nena, he called for her. "Trinity, General Reinier wants to speak with you. He waits for you in office five." As soon as he conveyed the message he waited outside to escort her.

The sudden appearance and exit of the soldier startled bot women. "I guess he didn't say for what. Be right back in a few, then." She told Riya, then walked outside. "Alright, let's go." She said to the soldier so he'd lead her to the General.

* * *

General Rainier was driking a cup of black tea when he heard the knock on the office's door. "Come in." He said without looking up. The soldier that was accompanying Nena saluted General Arthur and kept the door open for Nena. Once she was in he closed the door behind him. For her part, Nena saluted as well. "General Rainier, you called for me, sir?"

"Yes, Trinity. Do sit down, please." He affably offered. Once she was sitting he smiled at her and clasped his hands in front of his cup. "Would you like some tea?" He offered.

"Oh, sure. Thank you." She replied. Nena noticed the symbol on the General's lapel, a stylized 'A' in the form of triple arrows. Much to her chagrin she couldn't quite recall where she had seen it but she was quite sure it wasn't neither the Federation's nor the AEU's symbol.

General Rainier hit a button on the desk. "Wilkins, please bring me another tea service. Two cups this time. Yes, thank you." He said. Afterwards he smiled yet again. "So, how are you feeling here at the base? Getting used to it?"

"Yes, sir. Well, I had already come before many times since, you know, I'm under Colonel Mannequin's and Captain Colasour's supervision still. Two years to go!" She nervously said. The emblem kept nagging at her, she felt it was important but her memory still failed to bring anything to mind.

"Oh yes, the sentence. Well, I hear you've behaved in an exemplar way. I'd even dare say they might soften some parts of it!" The General laughed and Nena chuckled at that, slightly nervous. "Actually, I might even be able to help with that. Tell me, Nena, have you heard of the A-Laws Initiative?"

So that's what it was. Nena had heard Kati one of those times she talked with Patrick and her at dinner. Nothing conclusive but Kati hadn't liked them too much. Neither had Sergei from what Soma told her. Unfortunately she couldn't quite recall why exactly, it wasn't like she was an expert on political affairs. It was probably one of those things, a political shake up that undermined the main branches of the military. "I'm not sure, just tidbits here and there." She replied. "It's some sort of independant military arm under direct service to the Federation, right?"

"Ah! Yes, indeed. I'd say that's basically it!" He smiled kindly. The tea service arrived as they talked and he poured Nena a cup, which she gratefully accepted. "You see, I'm under direct orders of the AEU branch director, specifically in charge of recruitment. My department screens and interviews prospective candidates and someone with your piloting experience is a very precious candidate! If you'd like and, after some years of service, we can definitely request a full pardon for your sentence. Your history would be, let's say...made irrelevant. A full fledged citizen of the Federation. And of course, the Federation is also very thankful to the men and women who protect it. The pardon would be but the tip of the iceberg for you. I do believe you enjoy piloting and mobile suit development, right? Offering you access to the A-Laws prioritary resources would not be difficult, specially for someone as brilliant as you." He finished his sales pitch and smiled in a paternal way.

"I..." Now this was something that she didn't expect. She'd have any door open if she accepted, from what the General implied. Furthermore, what he said made her remember of something she had left deep down inside of her, almost forgotten, after getting used to her days with Patrick and Kati, with Soma and Riya, and Andreas. Her thirst for revenge had been pretty much forgotten and that made her feel utterly ashamed. If the General noticed her change of mood he didn't say. Being in the A-Laws would give her access to what she desired. Resources, and quite possibly intelligence. Ali-Al Saachez had evaded Veda's eyes somehow, but she had the feeling that where conflict was, he'd soon follow. And A-Laws was an invitation to conflict.

"I need to think about it, General, sir." Nena finally answered. And it was true, for another part of her was also almost forgotten. There was a piece of her that enjoyed the thrill of battle. Her days as a member of team Trinity had made her a blood-thirsty battlehound. Even tempered by her time with her newfound family and friends it still felt like an itch that maybe didn't require murder anymore, but at least the conquering of opponents. Establishing her superiority in mobile suit battles. Was this not what she had missed so much the first year of her sentence?

"I understand. Yet, if I may, I remember the pilot that helped with the tests on the Gundam Drei. I recognized that look on your eyes immediately. You love the skies and the thrill of the fight. On top of all I've offered, there's no better way than to put your love of battle to the service of peace, I'd say." He extended a plastic card towards her with the triple 'A' logo. "If you accept, go to the address written on the card. Since it will work only for you, were you to decline you can just destroy it and it'll be as if we never talked. It is up to you, Trinity. Oh, and do try not to take more than two weeks deciding, we'll be very busy after that, I'm afraid." He sipped his tea. "Well, I'd really love to keep chatting with you, young woman, but I'm afraid my job doesn't quite leave me enough time to enjoy good company. Perhaps that's why I value it so much!" He laughed like an old granpa. "I truly hope you accept my proposal and that we see each other soon!"

Once the General stood up, Nena promptly did the same and saluted. Almost as if it was an automatic door, it opened and the soldier behind it kept it open for the General to exit. He directed a last glance at Nena, with his smile still drawn on his face, then walked away. The door closed behind him and Nena took a few minutes to gather her thoughts and finish her tea.

* * *

"Hey Soran!" A friendly yell called for Soran Ibrahim's attention once he arrived at the Hanoi airport. The person waiting for him was a reporter called Phan Khiem. As far as Khiem knew, Soran was just a journalist as well, one he had met investigating the fall of Celestial Being in HRL Russia. He had found Soran's quiet demeanor funny, and they became fast friends. At least as far as Khiem was concerned, anyways.

"Phan Khiem." Soran briefly acknowledged Khiem.

"Dude, you arrived just in time. As they say, shit is about to hit the fan very soon." He grabbed Soran's shoulder as he directed him towards the exit. "The guys at the military are tense as hell, General Nguyen declared two days ago that their troops were ready for anything in the name of true freedom. And you know what 'anything' means in this case. Here. " He gave Soran a folder. "I can't make heads or tails of it but since you're more experienced with military stuff I was hoping you could help me. Oh yeah! You eat yet?" He asked.

"No, not yet." He replied curtly at the same time as he opened the folder. Printed sheets of military information let him know that they were preparing to mount an attack 'somewhere' as soon as war broke out.

"Well then, let me invite you something to eat and we'll talk there, yeah?" Khiem kindly offered. The nod he got as reply made him grin and, once he had stopped a cab and had climbed in, he requested for the driver to take them downtown, to a street where a diner he usually frequented was.

"Have you heard anything about the A-Laws?" Soran asked once they were sitting, with a sandwich in front of him.

"Only what they've allowed the usual tubes to know. Really, it's harder than getting blood out of a stone. However, just between you and me..." Khiem lowered his voice and got closer to Soran. "I got a source that says they could attack anywhere in Vietnam in mere minutes. From China. Let that sink in for a moment."

Soran thought about it. That probably meant they already had inside knowledge of where and how to strike, coupled with top-of-the-line mobile suits. Probably the new GN-XIII and the rumoured 'Head' mobile suit. And if they were so confident, their pilots were most likely very experienced as well. "They have quite a bit of resources." He commented.

"Yeah, no shit. And another rumor I heard is that they can act independently from the main federation army. It's like some Orwellian crap, man!" He threw his arms up in exasperation. Soran's impassive stare somehow communicated a 'calm down' message, so he did. "Anyways, we should rest today because I have some plans for us tomorrow. How'd you like to head over to one of the possible strike sites? If we get this down, we'll have one kick-ass story!"

"That'd be very good, yeah." Soran aaccepted. Watching firsthand the A-Laws tactics and equipment would be invaluable for the future. With wide, fast bites he finished his sandwich, and drank his soda with a big gulp.

"Whoa, dude, try to enjoy it a bit, jeez! Don't you know food is one of life's greatest pleasures?" Khiem admonished his partner.

"My apologies." He placed a hand to his mouth and let a silent burp escape him.

"Eh, whatever. Hey, how've you been anyways? You were at Krugis, right? Anything new there?" He supposed that was part of the fun of being with Soran. He let it slide and moved on.

"Various towns are attempting to rebuild. The integration with Azadistan continues, even while people remember the cruelties of the constant wars between the two nations. I doubt it'll end but for the moment, both nations are impoverished and stale. There's still sand everywhere." He recalled his tussles with those damnable sandstorms.

"Ugh, I remember last time I went there, back when Celestial Being was around? I had to use eyedrops the whole time!" Khiem remembered.

"Doubtful it'll ever change." Soran commented.

"Any cuties over there?" Khiem grinned and elbowed at Soran.

"No." He once again replied with an as short as possible answer.

"Are you serious? Some of them should be really cute, you didn't notice any?"

"No." He repeated.

"Bah. I give up. Seriously, sometimes I think you're a robot." He joked.

"Gundam." Soran replied as a knee-jerk reaction.

"What?" Thankfully, the word was so alien to Khiem, he didn't even register it.

"Nothing. Are you done with your food?" Soran quickly diverted the attention, still with his impassive expression.

Khiem sighed audibly at that. "Yeah yeah, let's get outta here, I guess. Oi, sweetie!" He called the waitress over, to pay for their dinner.

* * *

"No! Absolutely not, no!" In the little less than a three years they had lived together, Nena had never seen Patrick this angry. She had already guessed he'd be opposed to Nena joining the A-Laws, even if she hadn't quite decided yet.

"Patters. Patters, this is kind of my own choice. You get that, right? I'm telling you because I live with you and because I care about you. I wasn't..." She hesitated. She loved the man but in the end there were some things she had to do for herself. She tried to place a hand on his shoulder. "I wasn't asking for your permission."

"Well, I don't care!" He swatted away Nena's hand, without looking at her. It startled Nena but he was even careful not to hurt her. "I'm not...I'm not sending my little sister to a battlefield, let alone with those A-Laws dudes!"

"I'm not asking for your permission!" She yelled as well. While not completely angry, she was getting frustrated. "I need to do this! I need to know if I'm still the same!" Through the night she had reflected about things once and again. She was nervous, in a way. Doubtful. She was too comfortable with the lifestyle she was having so far. But she was also afraid. The prospect of returning to a battlefield had made her wonder if she was still as enamoured of murder as she was before. Had a couple of years of therapy and people that cared about her outside of fighting been enough? Even if her brothers had given her as much love as they were capable of, she recognized it: the three of them were very fucked up individuals. She was afraid that she still just needed a trigger to spill blood gleefully.

Patrick pulled her in an embrace once she said that. "You're not! You're my Nenners, you're my little sister! I can't, I won't lose my family!" He closed his eyes, memories of his father neglecting him, of his beloved mother dying, when he was very young. Being an only child, desiring attention and glory. Those had been some of the reasons he had joined the glamorous military life in the AEU. While he neglected him, his father still allowed him access to his money back then, not knowing that wasn't what his son wanted. It had helped with the lesser things, he supposed. The apartment. The tuitions. But family...now that he had it somehow, now that he had Nena, he didn't want to lose her. And people tended to die in the battlefield.

She hugged him back for a while. She knew bits and pieces of the story as well. But that didn't take the fear of her own issues away. "It makes me happy to know you think that way. I mean, I know you think that way but." She grabbed Patrick's face. He wasn't quite crying but his eyes were a bit moist and red. Kissing his forehead she justified herself. "I really need to know, Patters. I need to know if the bloodlust is still there. I was made for this, remember? I want to go so I can come back to you, and Kati. And Riya and Andy. And Soma. I wanna see if I'll come back whole."

"But you don't need to fight ever again! Why would you even return to the battlefield? You could just continue as you have, there's no need!"

"There is a need." She whispered, turning her eyes away. "Patrick, I still feel the call to fight. It's in my damn blood, don't you see? My wish is that I can balance what my being demands and what my life with all of you has granted me! I want to fight, but I want to see if I can remain myself, the self that I have managed to build with you guys!" She lowered her head, she knew in the end that was what fueled her revenge at its most basic. Revenge for her beloved brothers but also desire to prevail over the one that had defeated them. Could she manage it rationally? Would she end up losing herself to bloodlust if she saw Ali Al-Saachez again? She needed to know.

"You can't ask me to just let you go with a smile on my face." He growled.

"No, I can't. But can I at least ask you to pray for me, to do my best? To actually live, and make mistakes?"

He needed to take a seat, and he did so. He knew she was right, now that she had explained. And, while he didn't know a lot about psychology, he knew that keeping repressed emotions inside would just make them explode if kept for too long. For her, he supposed, he could take the stress. He raised his head and looked at her. "I just want you to know that you always have a home with me, no matter what. If...if you find you can't quite fight your nature then I want you to know I don't mind. I just want to know you're safe. Just come back when you have your answer, when you think you're done. Ok?"

She slowly took a seat by his side, hugging him sideways with her head on his shoulder. "I promise."

* * *

"I won't tell you not to go, Nena. But I beseech you, be careful." Kati had called Nena over to her office. She knew this would happen ever since she saw General Rainier last week. If he had deigned to come himself there was little she could do, so she just braced herself to see Nena go.

"I know, I know. I'll keep my eyes peeled for the enemy and all that. I'm not a rookie." Nena appreciated the worry Kati was showing but it still felt like a worried mom trying to check if you weren't forgetting your underwear before a trip.

"I'm not worried about that. I'm more worried about the way the A-Laws might decide to go about their pacifying missions. There's nothing worse than doing something of dubious moral quality then finding out just how wrong you were." She told Nena.

"Oh, I'm aware of that. Veeery aware." Nena remembered some of the things she did as a member of team Trinity, specially that day at Spain. It was one of the things that, after her time in therapy, was very heavy on her conscience. She sometimes wondered if there had been any survivors but since she couldn't quite move around that much, she didn't think of looking for them. Not like she'd be able to make it better with an 'I'm sorry' anyways.

"Good. I suppose it might be beneficial if you're aware. I know a thing or two about trying to correct one's mistakes and searching within, to see if we'll keep making the mistakes of our foolish days. If you see anything you might not agree to, remember to excercise caution. And remember that I trust your decision should something like that happen. You have our support."

"Thanks, Kati. Really." She smiled at the woman. She didn't quite get along with her as much as with Patrick. If anything, she felt like an aunt to her. But moments like this told her she also cared. "Actually, I have a favor to ask of you while I'm gone..."

"I know. You don't need to worry about Patrick." Kati guessed.

"Heh. You've always been smart as hell. Makes me feel less worried, it does."

"As long as you come back."

"Soma will be there too, anyways. I doubt there'll be a lot of trouble with her watching my back. Supersoldiers." Nena reassured the older woman, pointing both of her thumbs at herself.

"Interesting. I wonder how did Colonel Smirnoff react?" She crossed her arms as she thought out loud.

"Actually, from what Soma told me, it wasn't pretty. Turns out he has a son and he was the one that came to recruit her. It was a mix of him being happy to see his son, sad to see why, and pissed to see the A-Laws used his son to take his 'daughter' away." She replied raising her eyebrows and leaning back on her chair.

"That's understandable. I'd be rather angry as well in his situation. In any case, and as I said, this might carry a hidden blessing."

"What'cha mean?"

"With both Soma and you there, we have insider information. I'm sure that, while Smirnoff didn't quite think such a thing out loud, he knows he can trust Soma. And I know I can trust you, to let us know if you see anything that might help us find out exactly what are their intentions. It might prove crucial in the future." Kati clasped her hands over her desk and rested her chin on them, her glasses gleaming with the light reflected on them.

"I hadn't thought about that. Dang, Kati, if there's anyone who can plan on the fly, it's you. Yeah, I can do that." Nena crossed her arms, and reflected that what Kati had told her actuallly helped a lot. Her purpose now felt much less selfish and it focused her even more.

"Good. Also, do try to communicate with Patrick whenever you can. I know he'll appreciate it."

"I hope I don't catch you guys on your dating time, though." Nena smirked playfully.

At that, Kati simply smiled her 'oh, you think you're very funny' smile she usually employed on Patrick.

* * *

The building that the AEU branch of A-Laws called their headquarters was very modern looking. Nena was carrying her essential possessions inside her backpack, making a conscious decision to leave most of her stuff back home. Any reason to come back was good. She had agreed with Soma to meet up at the entrance, for it helped to embark on new journeys together with someone who had your back, or so she justified it. While waiting for her she thought back on how she hadn't quite told the whole story to neither Riya nor Andy about why she had accepted joining the A-Laws. She reflected that if that purple-haired weirdo had turned up now instead of back then he would've had more leverage. Good thing he had vanished into thin air since then.

"Hope you didn't wait for long." She heard Soma's voice from behind her. She looked cute in her HRL uniform in her opinion, then again, petite girls like Soma looked cute in almost anything. She felt Soma hug her and grab her shoulders, while smiling. "How're you doing?"

"I'm cool. Kinda nervous to be honest. Good thing I have you here to face this stuff with. But how're -you- holding up, how's Sergei? Last I heard he was sad and pissed, and sad."

Soma sighed, remembering. "I ended up convincing him when I said it was also my duty to protect the people, and if I could do it by finding out what the A-Laws were up to from the inside, then all the better. He still felt tense about the whole situation but at least he didn't put any further resistance."

"Well, that's good, I guess. Man, our male relatives are super-protective, huh?"

"His care makes me feel a normalcy I sometimes think I don't deserve but...yes, indeed it can be stiffling at times." She remembered a piece of news that she hadn't yet shared and made her happy. "Actually, there's something I haven't told you, he has proposed I become his daughter, oficially. He proposed to adopt me."

"Whoa, are you serious? So you'll be little Miss Bear for real now?" Nena asked.

"W-well, I didn't quite accept yet. I'm rather fond of the 'Peries' surname." She confirmed.

"True enough." She kind of guessed what was the real reason, though. "I do wonder too, sometimes, if I actually deserve the peace I've been granted. I was made to be a murder machine and here I am, being loved by a family and friends."

"Perhaps that's one of the things we came here to find out."

Nena closed her eyes at that and smiled, raising her head towards the heavens. "Heh, yeah." She then placed a hand on Soma's right shoulder. "Well then, time to figure it out, let's go!"

* * *

"Ah, I'm glad you decided to join us, Nena Trinity!" General Arthur Rainier greeted both young women once his secretary had let them in his office. He had left express orders to let him know if they showed up. "And Soma Peries! Your presence and expertise are sure to become a boon for our organization!" He extended his arms on a welcoming motion. "But please, take a seat!"

They both dropped the salute and took a seat, as instructed. "It's a pleasure, General, sir. I have to say I was surprised to know it was the AEU branch which called me, instead of my native HRL." Soma commented.

"Ah, well! In the end we're all the same. We all serve the Federation, the geographical divisions blur more and more and I wouldn't be surprised if we were called for operations throughout the globe." He smiled.

"I'm guessing we're joining a squad being formed or somesuch, sir?" Nena inquired.

"I'm glad you asked! Actually, I have very special plans for you, my young pilots. You see, we're just starting, of course. And as such, I am, -we are- most reluctant to just operate all nilly-willy, in great numbers. this is an elite corps after all, each and every soldier is a precious resource. Why, we're even investigating ways to conduct operations by employing your expertise but not placing you directly in the field." He vigorously waved his hands for emphasis. "You, especially, are even more precious from your experience with one of the most ground-breaking military movements in recent history, the ones against 'Celestial Being', and from both sides, to boot! No, no, I'm placing you on a special unit inside the A-Laws themselves. The elite of the elite, so to speak." He grinned wide.

"Huh, so, we're gonna be like an Ace unit? Just the two of us?" Nena wondered.

"Oh no, not just the two of you. As a matter of fact, your other two teammates have been with us for a week now. Please, do come with me. It's time for introductions!" Once he replied, he stood up, both girls also standing quickly. Moving outside of his office, he started making way towards the hangars, closely followed by the two young women. They noticed two rows of GN-X units and four GN-XIII units on the back. They guessed those GN-XIII would be their assigned units, seeing how the General had designated them as 'elite amongst the elite'. They saw many pilots conversing between themselves and with the maintenance crews, and a couple right in front of the GN-XIII's. Nena recognized one of them, a certain purple haired jerk. With him was a young woman about her own age, with short blonde hair. She sometimes grasped her wrist, as if she had some sort of itch on it.

"Regetta, Halevy!" The General called out to them. Once they turned to see him, Regene's stare zeroed in on Nena, sharpening his gaze. A smirk formed on his face, followed by him crossing his arms, as if in defiance. The blonde girl, for her part, studied both women that were approaching her and mister Regene, and saluted the General. "How're you doing? Getting used to all this, yet?"

"Could be worse." Regene said, without taking his eyes off of Nena.

"Everything is alright, sir!" Louise replied.

"Well, good, good! Allow me to introduce your two teammates. First Lieutenant Soma Peries, and Second Lieutenant Nena Trinity. As of now, the Special Operations Unit 'Norns' is formed. And these are Captain Regene Regetta, a licensed officer outside of our organization, but one with great credentials, and Warrant Officer Louise Halevy. While she's still a rookie, I expect great things from her!"

"A pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant Peries, Lieutenant Trinity!" Louise said.

Soma saluted back. "Likewise, Halevy. And a pleasure to meet you, Captain Regetta."

"I'm sure you'll be up to my expectations, Lieutenant Peries." Regene half-smiled at Soma, politely. And then he directed his gaze once again to Nena. "Trinity. It's been a while." His words dripped with contempt.

Nena crossed her arms and kept her eyes trained on Regene. "'Sup, purple?"

"Oh, you know each other? Good! This is the start of a great working relationship, I'm sure! Then, Lieutenant Peries, I'm assigning you as the flight's leader with callsign 'Norn 1', since Captain Regetta here in his status as licensed officer refused to lead and assured me he'd play nice with whoever we decided would lead the team." He ordered, to which Soma saluted respectfully, accepting her assignment. "Good! Very well, then! I'll leave you young pilots to know each other. If you need anything, do let my secretary know and I'll do my absolute best to make it happen." And with that, the General left the team.

Nena supposed she could just ask her questions to the purple jerkwad later, so she clicked her tongue after staring at him and changed her demeanor to greet her other new teammate. "Hey there, buddy! I'm Nena Trinity, pleased to meet ya!" Nena left her rank out on purpose, to make the newbie relax. She had to admit it amused her to see this girl behave like a fraidy kitten, but the flight needed the four of them to trust each other in combat, and outside of it. She also looked cute so that helped. "Don't worry about Lieutenant Soma, she's curt now, but she's an absolute sweetheart when you get to know her better." She winked at Louise and threw a peace sign.

"Oh yes, it's a pleasure, um, Nena." Uncomfortable at the casual tone of her superior, she greeted back.

Soma then spoke after the greetings finished. "Let's not waste any time, then. As you're still a rookie pilot, I'll have you perform some basic training excercises assisted by Lieutenant Trinity, and we'll work from there. We will start tomorrow at 900, sharp. I'll be waiting to give you your assigned mobile suit here at the hangar. Do you have any questions?"

"Must you intimidate her that badly?" Nena snarked.

"I think I'm being perfectly reasonable. Whatever are you implying, Lieutenant?" Soma stared at Nena, trying to communicate a 'Not here, Nena'.

Louise simply looked at each woman in turn, then started. "N-no, it's quite alright! I don't feel that intimidated. If anything, you're harder to relate to, Lieutenant Trinity."

Soma smirked at that, and Nena stared at Louise with a wilting gaze.

"Ah! I d-didn't mean it like that, I'm sorry!" Louise was quick to defend herself.

Regene watched the three women interacting as if he was a zoologist studying a particularly interesting group of subjects. "I suppose you won't be needing me for your playtime, will you?"

Soma fully turned towards Regene. "As a matter of fact, I'd appreciate it if you could train with us, once Lieutenant Trinity and me finish evaluating Halevy. I hope that's ok with you?"

"Fair enough." Regene conceded as he crossed his arms. Apparently these two were willing to do his job of making sure Halevy would survive until becoming useful. The least he could do was watch them. Besides, he was also curious to see Trinity and Halevy interact. Funny turns that life took, indeed; this could be quite a great boon in the future.

Nena proceeded to put an arm around Louise and rub her knuckle on her crown. "So you think she's cuter than me, huh? We'll see about that, Louise Halevy!" She playfully bullied her new teammate.

"N-no! I'm sorry, please don't!" Submitted by the redhead she couldn't find the strength to get her off. Who was this person? Why was Lieutenant Soma doing nothing? This was definitely not what she had in mind when she joined the A-Laws. She thought it'd all be way more stuffy and formal, the way Mister Almark had put it. In a way this girl reminded her of...

No, that woman was dead now. She had died with her family back then at Spain and nothing would ever make it go away and...why wouldn't this Trinity woman stop!? The knuckle started to hurt!

"I think that's quite enough, Trinity." Soma finally separated them both. "However, I believe we should begin to try and get to know each other better. Any ideas on how to achieve that goal, Lieutenant?" She asked Nena.

"Oh! Well, I sneaked a couple of whiskey bottles in from the Colasour stash. Let's get wasted at our barracks!" Nena was quick to suggest.

"With moderation." Soma was quick to rein her in. "And not too late into the night, our excercises start tomorrow after all."

"I think I'll pass on that one. See you tomorrow for the excercises, then." Regene started walking away as he deemed the following activities unworthy.

Glad to see Regene leave, Nena turned fully to her silver-haired friend. "You're such a party pooper, Soma." She dejectedly accepted the compromise.

"Is this...proper?" Louise wondered.

"They won't know if we don't tell them." The redhead said in a sing-song tone. "Besides, Soma here can drink us under the table with her hand behind her back. She'll definitely be able to drink a whole bottle by herself and feel nothing. Must be her bear genes." Nena once again put an arm around Louise, this time in a conspiratory manner, and pointed at Soma with her thumb.

* * *

Yep, that just happened. How will it develop for our newly formed team? Will they manage to get along? Will Louise put a bullet on Nena's back once Regene decides to tell her the truth? Find out in the next chapters of "A Streak of Crimson"! Your reads, reviews, criticism and anything you wanna tell me are always, always appreciated. See ya next week!


	12. The Brave Few

A little late, yet I barely made it. Welcome to chapter 11 of "A Streak of Crimson"! I apologize for the late time, I'm afraid it was a very hectic week. I actually thought I wouldn't make it but thankfully, I did! There might be more grammatical errors as a result but I hope it's legible enough. Thank you for your reviews...or review. Yeah, you're the only reviewer now, northernlion, but as long as everyone is reading, it's fine. I'd love to hear the comments from the rest of you guys, but I assure you that the full story won't depend on whether people write on the reviews wall or not. Well then, without further ado, here's chapter 11!

* * *

**Chapter 11 - The Brave Few  
**

"Turn faster, Halevy, they already made you into swiss cheese at the speed you're going!" Louise heard Lieutenant Trinity over the communication's system.

Even inside the simulator of such a user-friendly machine as the GN-X, Louise felt completely out of her element. Going from worker mobile suits to military machines was like switching from tricycles to hot-rods. She just pushed a bit and she got smushed against the pilot seat. All in all, and even though it wasn't completely real, she was scared of getting turned into paste on the floor.

Trinity's GN-XIII suddenly appeared right in front of her inside the simulation and made her screech. The mobile suit grabbed her to make her stop.

"Halevy, if you keep being afraid to accelerate you'll pilot like a granny forever. Is that what you want, you want me to call you Granny Halevy?" Nena scolded and teased Louise at the same time.

"N-no..." She replied. "It's just that..." She hesitated. What the hell was she even doing here in A-Laws?

'What the hell is she even doing here in A-Laws?' Nena thought at the same time. "Ok. Ok, look. Louise, you know how to make these move, right? Well, just land with me here and let's go once again through the basics." She landed with the GN-X held by its arms with her mobile suit's manipulators, then made her suit stand right next to Louise's.

"Ok, now geeeeently push forward. I'm right here with you, don't worry." She felt like she was teaching a kid how to walk.

"I can do it. I swear." Louise assured her instructor, but complied. She accelerated gently.

From the observation room, Soma couldn't help but chew on her fingernail. They had sure given her a nice third member. She supposed they thought three experienced pilots could get this girl up to speed but now she wondered if it was even possible.

"Quite the assignment they've given you with Halevy, huh?" Regene was standing next to Soma, his eyes showing amusement. A hand on his chin and the other holding the arm across his midriff, he seemed like he was having fun watching the poor rookie suffer.

"I believe in Nena." She didn't turn towards Regene, his attitude was frankly irksome.

Regene simply scoffed at the words of trust towards her teammate.

"I believe you. And if you don't have confidence in yourself, believe in me having confidence in you." Nena reassured Louise. They gradually picked up in speed, going back and forth, and before Louise realized it, they were flying once again.

"Now let's go from target three to seven. Let's do it in five seconds, can you handle it?"

Nena was being so kind, Louise felt like she couldn't disappoint her. She grasped her controls tighter, and grit her teeth. "Ok, I can do it."

Nena flew over target number seven. "Ok, Lou, let 'er rip. Come on over."

Louise pushed her speed and flew towards target seven faster than she had before. The GN-XIII caught her and swirled the GN-X around as it reached target seven to arrest its momentum. "Alright! 4.96! Now let's fly back to target three in two seconds and a half." Nena instructed.

Perhaps reassured by the GN-XIII's presence over the targets, Louise felt more confident to push her speed ahead, knowing she'd be caught by Nena. She rushed over to target three.

"Two and a half sharp, nice!" I want you to do the three-seven circuit once in the same time now, ok?" She ordered this time.

"Ok." Feeling a bit more confident, Louise complied, and quickly rushed to target seven. Once she reached it, she drew a curve around it and headed towards three. Her speed was higher than she had ever tried, yet she managed to stop sharply before the GN-XIII.

"You made three seconds. Give me one more, this time push it a little bit further." The redhead instructed her pupil. Louise immediately complied and did the circuit one more time.

"2.70, we're getting there. Again." She sharply commanded.

"2.55, again." And away Louise went once more.

As Louise returned, Nena noticed her time had gone down to 2.30. She decided she'd lie to Louise a bit to push her further to the limit. "2.58, you went down. C'mon Halevy, push it further!"

Louise grit her teeth harder and rushed one more time. As she reached target three where Nena was waiting, she went past it and drew a narrow curve to return once again. Such had been her speed.

'That's my girl. Two seconds.' Nena thought. She sent her cockpit's camera feed to Louise and showed her the time, smiling.

"Oh my god." Was all Louise said. She couldn't believe she had gone so fast.

"We're just getting started here, Lou. Now we're gonna do circuit three-seven-twelve-six-four. Sharp turns, you just showed me you can do them. Same speed as just now. Go!"

Louise flew away like an arrow. She could do this, she'd show Nena she could. She went past seven, then twelve. She drew a sharp turn as instructed, her suit's foot striking the target. She barely felt the feedback impact which sent the target flying. Instead she pressed on, nearing six and curving towards four. She reached three and zoomed through, using her manipulator to grab two, helping her turn with it.

"There's my little missile! Yeah!" Nena was immediately upon the GN-X "You made five seconds, Lou! You kinda killed number twelve there, but that's what they're there for, heh!"

"I'm shaking all over." Louise informed her.

"Oh no, not good! You're losing your adrenaline! Let's strike while the iron's hot, I want you to go hit all the targets as fast as you can. Come with me." Nena instructed Louise, who closely followed her to the course's starting line.

"Ok, I want you to turn off your navigation aid, so you get used to pursuing targets with your eyes. Since they're stationary I want you to remember: one through five are right in front of you over there." She motioned to the group of targets near the starting point. "Then you turn up to shoot down six through ten. Swirl over towards east for eleven through fourteen, and then down from there for the rest up to twenty. Twelve already recovered so you don't need to send flowers to his family. You do need to shoot him again tho'. No kicks this time, I want you to use your rifle. We cool?" She finished.

Louise muttered what she had just been said to help herself commit it to memory. "Ok, got it." She positioned her GN-X at the starting line.

"Alright, starting up the course in five..." She threw a thumbs up with her mobile suit outside of the simulation program, motioning at the observation room.

Soma smiled and hit a button on the control display, to place Halevy's simulation measurements on the monitor's center. Nena's casual approach was very good for rookie pilots that lacked confidence, it seemed. She turned to smirk at Regene. "Seems the rookie has it in her, after all." Surprisingly, now he appeared to be more interested rather than dejected at his prior evaluation being wrong. Then again she didn't know they were just making Regene's work easier.

"So it seems, indeed. Trinity brings surprise after surprise."

* * *

"Sooooo..." After the training excercises had been finished, Nena approached Soma, who seemed to be studying the performance results.

"So?" Barely acknowledging her, she kept looking at numbers on her pad.

"What do you think of Lou? Think she got what it takes?"

At this, she fully turned towards Nena. "Well, it is quite obvious she's a rookie, I'm afraid. As she is now, I can't allow her to enter the battlefield with us. She'll be a risk to both her and the team. I thought she had some experience under her belt already but it seems they tossed her unto us to actually train her. It's kind of bothersome, to be frank."

"Yeah, I thought so, too." She admitted. "But..." She started.

"However." Soma interrupted her, guessing what Nena was about to say. "Her response rates are rather high for a rookie. She has actually very good reflexes and her reactions seems to be well suited for fast, quick-hitting suits. Like the Orange mobile suit from Celestial Being, remember that one?"

"Oh, the Kyrios?"

"Yes." The memory of that mobile suit and its pilot came to Soma for a moment, but being the professional she was, she didn't let it show. "Heavily armed suits will only work against her, I may have to request for modifications to be made on the GN-XIII that'll be assigned to her."

"So what's your final verdict, boss?" Nena smiled. She was proud of how Soma had come up with so much after a single training excercise. Truly, she was quite fit to be their leader.

"Well, the fact that she's a rookie will allow us to train her properly into fitting the team tactics I have in mind. Also, you seem to have taken a shine to her so yeah, we're taking her. We'll need at least six months to get her ready to fight." Soma crossed her arms and closed her eyes as she spoke her sentence, then smirked and opened one eye at Nena once she was done.

"Sweet." Nena celebrated. "We'll get her into tip-top shape. She has drive, I could feel it. Somehow I feel like I absolutely have to help her." Now, if only they didn't have the purple dork with them, the team would be perfect.

"Then I'll come up with the necessary training regime. Perhaps tomorrow I'll train with Captain Regetta, then. I need to get a feel of how he fights."

"Ugh, and do try to make him be less of a jerk."

"He's not -that- bad." Soma tried. "Is he? To be honest I haven't talked to him much but you seem to know him. What's the story behind that?"

"Well..." Nena recalled the experience. "I don't even know him for that long, either, but the one time we talked he tried to blackmail me into something. And that was the first time we had ever talked! And he wasn't even good at being bad, I mean, c'mon! Study your target a little bit before that!"

"He seems to be part of an organization, but I guess that as long as he can take orders and doesn't become too much of a bother out of our missions, it'll be fine."

"Yeah, well, we'll see." Nena crossed her arms. "I guess I'll leave it to you, Sommy."

"Thanks." She grabbed her friend's shoulder and smiled.

* * *

This was it. The moment Riya had been waiting for. All parts were set and the systems seemed to be on the green. Time to give it a go. "Turning this little one on." She said out loud.

"It'll work. It'll work." Purple Haro reassured its friend.

"I think it will, actually." Riya smiled at the robot, the tension rising inside of her regardless. The green robot that was almost a copy of the one next to her started up. First, the eyes blinked in and out, then they managed to stay on for good. Riya gasped in joy when it took it's arms out and stood over the laboratory's table. "Hey there." She greeted the new Haro.

"Who are you? Who are you?" The newborn robot asked her.

"I'm your creator, little one. How're you feeling, anything feel odd?" She smiled at it.

"All seems fine. All seems fine." Then it turned towards the purple robot in the room. "Who are you? Who are you?"

"I'm Purple Haro. I'm Purple Haro." It replied, putting one of its arms on the green robot's top.

"You know, i'm starting to think it'll be a mouthfull to call you guys 'Green Haro' and 'Purple Haro'. I think I'll just call you..." She wondered, then she decided to go for the simple, yet foreign. In her mother's language it should sound exotic enough. She turned to address Green Haro. "You'll be 'Vana'" Then she turned to the purple one. "And I hope Nena doesn't mind it, nor you, but how about 'Angura' for you?"

"I like it! I like it!" Purple Haro, or Angura, found itself rather happy to have an actual name. Its very own name, and given by one of its favorite humans. If Nena didn't like it she could shove her opinion wherever.

Green Haro bounced around happily. "I'm Vana! Who are you? I'm Vana! Who are you?"

Riya chuckled at Vana's antics. "I suppose that means you like it, as well! Say, help me run some tests on your sensors and your manipulators, hm?" She smiled.

"Yes, mommy! Yes, mommy!" Vana addressed who it considered its mother. In its core, it was what fit for this human.

"I'm you mother, aren't I? I suppose that's true enough!" She laughed merrily. "Ok, Vana, honey, try using your manipulators to screw those bolts in, please." She pointed to a previously prepared row of bolts, jutting out of a steel plate.

The door to the lab opened as Vana bounced towards the steel plate to start working, allowing Kati to walk in. "Seems your labor has given fruit, Riya." She immediatley noticed the happily bouncing robot, and nodded approvingly.

Riya stood up and saluted. After the months she had spent in the base and of knowing the Colonel better, she now felt comfortable with her around. "Indeed, ma'am! Allow me to introduce 'Vana', our very first Haro! Vana, sweetie, say hi to the Colonel, please."

After it finished screwing the bolt it was working on, Vana turned around and cutely saluted Kati. "Greetings, ma'am! Greetings, ma'am!"

As serious as Kati was, she couldn't help but chuckle at that. "And so well behaved, too! Let's see how that work you're doing turns out, shall we?" She approached Vana and watched it finish its work.

* * *

"Alright, Soran, you ready?" Khiem whispered. "The base is right after this, and thanks to all the conmotion outside, they ought to be too busy to check on two guys sneaking aroun-eh?" He turned to where Soran was supposed to be waiting, then turned back at the fence, where Soran was already leaping in what seemed to Khiem an inhuman way. "Dude, what the hell?!"

"Hurry, help me cut the fecne for you to enter." Soran replied unfazed.

"Seriously man, everytime I think I got you figured out you pull stuff like this..." He commented, keeping his voice low, while they both got to work at making a hole in the fence.

Once the fence was breached, Soran took out his camera as if he was brandishing a pistol. "Let's go." He quickly put his back to the wall of a nearby building.

Deciding that it seemed Soran knew better about sneaking around, Khiem ran to where he was and knelt, wielding his camera too. "Why are we taking pictures of this place, again? It's not like we'll report on the military's assets."

"Context." Soran curtly replied.

"Riiiight." Khiem rolled his eyes, then it hit him. "Right! This way we can display the contrast between a normal army and the overpowered peackeeping forces!"

Soran grunted in affirmation, then took off towards a building in particular. He leapt on a container, then hid again. Waiting for Khiem to catch up he watched the soldiers scramble around, apparently for the attack that was already being conducted over the nearby city.

"Oi, help me up!"

Soran laid on his stomach and extended his hand to help Khiem climb.

"Why's this building in particular so important anyways?"

"It's the hangar. I want to see the suits they have available." He replied, then took a peek inside the place from the window panel above them. There seemed to be the usual, what was left of the Tieren squadron, both cannon and scouting variants. A maroon customized Tieren which reminded him of the pink one from back when Celestial Being started their missions and, surprisingly, a single GN-X in what appeared to be the place of honor in the hangar. Yet there were no soldiers around. He took a few pictures, then knelt again to hide.

"So what did you find out?"

"I found out that they're gonna get wiped." He checked the pictures he had taken quickly, then stole a glance out to be on the lookout for any soldiers that might catch them.

"Well, then we shouldn't be dallying here, man! I told you we should be close to where the battle's being held but noooo, you had to come here for whatever re-HEY!" He got cut short as he saw Soran quickly climb down, then run inside the hangar.

Once Khiem entered the hangar too, he panted and grabbed Soran's shoulder, who was looking at a particular mobile suit. "Dude, stop...doing...that!" He panted, trying to recover his breath.

"Stay here but look alive. I'm taking us to where you wanted to be." Soran rushed up the scaffolding, towards the GN-X's cockpit. Jackpot, the cockpit was unlocked.

"What the hell, are you serious?" Khiem said to no one in particular, while he looked at the hangar's entrance. Unfortunately for them both, soldiers started pouring in and screamed at him to lay on the floor and put his arms on the back of his neck. "Dude, they're here, hurry the fuck up, arrrrgh!" He hid behind the GN-X's foot once they opened fire.

At the same time, Soran managed to start up the GN-X and quickly put the suit's hand down. "Climb up!" He ordered to Khiem, who quickly obeyed. Soran then opened the cockpit and placed Khiem in, belly down on his own lap. He made the GN-X rush outside and then he took to the skies.

"Craziest. Shit. EVER. How the hell do you even know how to pilot these things?!" He screamed from his prone position.

"I have a license." Soran lied.

"LICENSE MY ASS!"

* * *

"And on further news, after the diplomatic talks ended in failure, Chairwoman Yang has requested for the Autonomous Peacekeeping Forces to help with the pacifying efforts. After a lightning attack on the province of Quang Ninh, the Vietnamese military has lost 40 mobile suits, 20 motorized armors and approximately 2,000 soldiers. However, and even as the Earth Federation's army occupies the province, the Peackeeping forces continue to mount assaults fruitlessly, from the Vietnamese army's skirmish tactics. On a press release, Chairwoman Yang has expressed the Federation's interest in returning peace to the Asian east, as the c-"

Klaus Grad turned the television off. The room, filled with members of Katharon murmured amongst them, worried about the news. "This is happening much too fast, what's going on? We're nowhere near ready to help them."

A man with a bandanna on his forehead tried to calm his comrade. "Klaus, you heard the newslady, the vietnamese are as stubborn as ever. Hopefully their tenacity will hold them up enough to put up some terms. Seems the A-Laws weren't as straight on their path as everyone thought." That defused the sullen mood in the room, some chuckles and outright laughter starting up.

"And what if this is but their vanguard? What if this is only the tip of the iceberg? You've heard the rumors, Elijah. You've seen the pictures."

"They can handle the GN-XIII."

"I'm talking about that other red mobile suit, the one our guys sacrificed their lifes to take a snapshot of."

The room fell silent once again. The rumored new suit apparently had terrifying capabilities. Yet what remained unsaid was the other piece of information they had acquired with blood. The metal spider abominations that appeared to be in development.

"Well, what do you wanna do, then?"

Klaus stood up as a reply. He turned on a computer nearby and hit some combination of keys, which produced the image of a man with a scar on the bridge of his nose, and military-cut hair. "Klaus, you finally called." He said.

"Gerald, get your guys ready. You're going to Vietnam."

"Are you out of your mind, Klaus?! You can't send the Bloodhounds there, we need them for the Middle-east operation!" Elijah screamed.

"That can wait! If Vietnam gets absorbed, soon Cambodia will follow, then Laos, then they won't stop! We have to help them now!" Klaus slammed the table, both tense and furious.

"We'll be ready whenever. The gift from our mysterious sponsor has been working great." Gerald opined, trying to defuse the mounting tension. Behind Gerald and to the distance, five heavily customized GN-XIII stood, as if waiting for any moment to strike out. "Who calls themselves 'Cookie' anyways?"

* * *

Louise reflected on the three months that had passed since "Team Norns" had formed, while looking at the team's mobile suits in the hangar. In a way she wasn't quite sure what was going to happen back then, but now that she had received instruction from both Nena and Soma, and sometimes from Regene, she felt more confident. There was still a lot of work to be done according to what Lieutenant Peries had planned for her, but for now, she felt more in control of her fate than ever.

If only the itch on her arm stopped.

"You're gonna leave a mark, hun." Nena sat next to Louise, and handed her a bottle of water. While unscrewing her own bottle, she asked. "What'cha thinking about? The next prank on purple?" She drank her water while keeping her eyes on Louise.

"I don't think Lieutenant Peries liked the last prank we played on him, Nen."

"She needs to act like that, but she was laughing her ass out in her room. Though maybe we'll leave the pranking for some other day, eh?"

"He looked so funny covered in flour, though!"

Nena chuckled at that. "The funniest part was when he yelled." She made her voice drop an octave, attempting to mimick Regene. "How dare you waste flour like that?!"

Louise spit her water and laughed out loud.

They took a few to recover, then drank a bit more water. After a bit, Nena talked again. "Man, so remember my pal I told you about? Riya? She actually managed to make some more robots like the one I left with her. They're making maintenance and construction even easier. It got to the point that they're refitting some Jinxies with the scrapped project Efreet. I actually heard some of the maintenance crew over here that they'd love a Haro."

"They're so cute! I want one for me..."

"Hey, maybe I'll ask Riya to send us one for you, then!"

"Would you do that? Awesome!" Louise smiled wide, then the thought made her remember the reflection she was having earlier. It was leading to something that had been nagging her for a while, now. "Nena, why are you guys so nice to me?"

A melancholic smile was drawn on Nena's face. She took a last gulp of water, then pressed the bottle to dispose of it later. "Well, we don't wanna die, so we gotta train you right. If you're good, the team's better and our odds of coming back alive go up." She said while looking at the GN-XIIIs.

"Both you and Lieutenant Peries could have just requested to send me to some other team and I would've understood." Louise retorted.

"Yeah." Nena admitted. "We could've done that, but." This time she turned to see Louise. "Ok, stop me if you think this sounds weird. I felt like I had to absolutely help you, I could see this determination on your eyes that I can kinda relate to, somehow. And Soma saw potential in you, General Rainier wasn't lying about that. I mean, look at you! You zoom around now like nobody's business! And once we get the hang of our combination raid, with you dizzying the enemy around so I can snipe them good, then we'll be unstoppable!" She then decided to tease the blonde a bit. "Also, you're kind cute so that helps you."

Louise blushed hard at that. "N-nena!" She hit Nena's shoulder bashfully.

"Aw, c'mon Lou. You know that if I wasn't with Andy I'd jump your bones. C'mon, gimme a kiss." She mock puckered her lips and slowly approached Louise's face.

Louise simply booped her friend's head to stop her. "You're such a dummy, Nen!" Both girls laughed at that.

Unfortunately, that made Louise remember Saji, and it showed on her face. She sighed audibly while looking at what was left of her water.

"You should try and call him, you know?" Nena guessed at what was eating at her friend. "I bet he's waiting for that, too."

The blonde sighed and smiled sadly. "I don't think I'm ready yet, I'm afraid. But, yeah, as soon as I feel I can gather my thoughts about him I'll do it." She then turned to look at Nena. "Also, thanks, for answering my question."

Nena passed an arm around Louise's shoulder as a reply, then rubbed her shoulder in comradery.

"I hope I'm not interrupting your lover's time." Soma called from behind them, jokingly.

Louise jumped on her spot, while Nena turned around unfazed. "Don't be jealous, love. You know the night's all yours."

"As if you could keep up with me, Lieutenant." Soma smirked at her friend's jab. "Ladies, I'm afraid the interruption's for real, though. We have an assignment."

That made Nena's face turn into a scowl. "What? And do they intend to send Louise as well? She's not ready yet!"

"I'm afraid orders are orders." Soma sharpened her gaze, then quickly softened it. "I also voiced my concern, Nena, but they reminded me of the same. However, it will only be reconaissance mainly. We'll monitor enemy activity and provide backup. We'll be under orders of the A-Laws commander on site, but I'll have a degree of control over what we do."

"Nice, at least that relaxes me. I guess it'll be a good experience, then." Nena turned to Louise, who was grasping her arm, her face showing doubt.

"I'm just worried I'll get in your way." She spoke her thoughts out loud.

"It'll be fine, we're big girls. And if it all fails, we'll toss Regene at them and scram." Nena put a hand on Louise's shoulder, to which the blonde smiled.

The aforementioned Regene turned up and approached his three teammates. "Well, it'd actually be the wisest course of action, since I'm the superior pilot." He smirked as Nena gave him the stink-eye. "And where are we conducting our operations then, leader?"

Soma turned to the team in full, which Louise and Nena felt, and stood in attention. Regene crossed his arms, but also stood next to his two teammates to await for Norn 1's order. "Team Norn, starting next week, we'll conduct support and intelligence roles at the Eastern Asia front. We're going to Vietnam."

* * *

Well, there we go. The actors gather and the storm intensifies. As we reach the end of the first half of "A Streak of Crimson", many things will further accelerate some of the canon situations from the original season 2, and set for some changes in that lapse of time. Gundam battles will rage on and conspirations will unfold, some from the most unexpected of places. But to find out more, you'll have to wait for the following weeks. For now, I thank you for your reads and reviews and hope that you enjoyed this week's chapter. Until next time!


	13. War's Shadow

Man, I just keep getting busier and busier. But here we are, Chapter 12. This is the Norns' debut, hopefully you'll enjoy it! Also, the fic has reached 700+ views! Almost there to 1000! I suppose a lot of people have been digging it so far, I'm happy about that. Anyways, here we go!

* * *

**Chapter 12 - War's Shadow**

"This is where we part ways, Phan Khiem." Setsuna extended his hand to shake Khiem's. The man had been very helpful, by guiding him around Vietnam and obtaining insider information. It'd be a bit difficult to part with such an asset but he'd manage. Such was the way of Celestial Being. Surrounded by the vietnamese jungle, but closeby enough to a settlement, they both agreed this was the best spot to split.

"Man, I can't believe you're that skilled with a mobile suit. I guess there's quite a lot more than what meets the eye. I bet you're not even a reporter, huh?" Khiem shook the offered hand. To be honest, he'd miss the sullen guy but things had gotten quite dangerous. From the look of things, they'd only get even more dangerous now. Besides, he had a lot of information already to make quite a shocking story for the newscast.

"Perhaps." Setsuna replied.

"Heh, as silent as ever. Alright then, I guess we won't keep in touch?" He wondered.

"I'm afraid not. For your own good."

"It's been nice knowing you, man. And...take care. Don't make it easy for them."

"I won't die." Setsuna declared, and then he climbed inside the kneeling GN-X's cockpit. The mobile suit started up and then, propelled into the skies, only to disappear quickly.

"Yeah, I can actually believe that." Khiem looked up at the departing mobile suit, then turned around and walked towards the nearby town.

* * *

"Colonel Grenn, Lieutenant Soma Peries reporting in, sir." Soma saluted the A-Laws commander in site. The team had arrived early that day and things had seemed quite hectic from the get-go. While Nena and the others were requesting for maintenance on the team's mobile suits, she had to find out the details on the front's situation and then receive their assignment.

"Finally, you people arrive. Maybe now we can get some good intel." The Colonel was a middle-aged man, with brown hair and what would've been youthful features, were they not twisted by the stress of these peackeeping operations. It wasn't going that well for them. "Forgive me for not being up for chit-chat but the situation won't allow me. Coffee?" He offered while he poured himself a cup.

"That's quite alright. And no, thank you." She didn't mind the no-nonsense attitude. In a way she preferred it when it came to military situations.

"Alright, come over here and take a look, then." He motioned to the map being displayed on an electronic table. "As you can see, we've managed to occupy Quang Ninh and Lang Song. But moving further in has proven quite difficult, we're merely halfway in Bac Giang but that's it. I suppose the lessons of history still ring true, these guys remain tough as nails." He pointed to each province as he mentioned them, his finger drawing circles. "While the guerrilla tactics are troublesome, we were able to manage them. For the first month they got the upper hand but eventually we pushed them back. And then unexpected variables entered the equation."

He hit a button on the electronic display and a series of red and blue circles appeared both inside the areas occupied and the current battlefront. "The red circles mark where a squadron of highly skilled pilots manning heavily-customized GN-XIII's have appeared, turning the tide of battle to our detriment. They boast very strong tactics and the issues that we've had to roll out more Ahead mobile suits have only worked to their advantage. A couple of Aheads on the battlefield in each skirmish just ain't cutting it. They call themselves the 'Bloodhounds'." He then made the red circles disappear and the few blue circles remained. "The blue circles mark where a GN-X painted deep black has appeared. While the 'Bloodhounds' make us sustain heavy losses and force retreats when they show up, this guy goes straight for the leading mobile suit in a particular skirmish, destroys it and its escort, then leaves. Never says anything, never stays around to participate other than what I mentioned. He just shows up, destroys and disappears. The soldiers have come to call it the 'Shadow', and it's being as big of a thorn on our side as the 'Bloodhounds'."

Soma reflected on the information provided. As a newly formed military force, A-Laws was under heavy scrutiny and it wasn't looking good. It seemed logical that they needed the situation solved, and fast. "I gather these two don't work together and from what I see they've never showed up in the same battle at the same time." She commented.

"Indeed. And the worst part is that without them, this would've been over at most at the end of the second month. The 'Bloodhounds' showed up at the start of it, the 'Shadow' started giving us grief since the first. So, guerrilla tactics and uninvited guests have lengthened this thing more than it had any right to be extended." Colonel Grenn lamented.

"What would you have my team do then, sir?" She finally asked.

"Yes. You see, I can't divert too much of my forces to deal with both interlopers. I already have some of my assets to finish the 'Bloodhounds' so, I'm going to need you to find the 'Shadow' and end its menace." He ordered the Team Norn's leader.

"Very well, sir. it shall be done." Soma replied, accepting the assignment.

"Alright. Well, we're both quite busy so, here's the information we've managed to gather so far on the 'Shadow' and there's also a copy of this map. Needless to say, the sooner you get it down, the better. You are dismissed." He extended a memory stick towards Soma, then turned back to the map, a worried expression on his face.

"Sir!" She gave the Colonel a crisp salute, then exited the room.

* * *

Soma had managed to find a room in the A-Laws base to conduct a meeting with her team. After analyzing the information one thing was clear to her: the 'Shadow' didn't have a base of its own. It was a logical move yet it made it that much harder to pinpoint. She felt like a brainstorming session would help them decide for an appropriate course of action.

"One thing strikes me as odd: why wouldn't 'blackie' work with the hounds? Wouldn't it be even easier for them both?" Nena wondered.

"I'm willing to bet he thinks spreading out the chaos against A-Laws works better to their advantage." Regene opined.

"Or she." Nena commented in a most petty way.

"Whatever." Regene retorted. "Lieutenant Peries, is there any information about the 'Shadow' appearing where the hounds show up, then retreating when he sees them? Or viceversa?" He inquired.

"Actually, there is a few instances of that." Soma's face lit up. Admittedly the thought had occured to her but didn't pursue it further. "According to this, the 'Shadow' vanished when the hounds had appeared in battle before it did. On the other hand, the hounds showed up where the 'Shadow' struck, yet they didn't make a move to leave. The 'Shadow' only managed to destroy one of the battlefield leader's escorts, then left. I'd guess it left from seeing the hounds arriving."

"So the 'Shadow' will avoid acting where the hounds are, but the hounds don't care about the 'Shadow' being there..." Louise concluded.

"Precisely." Soma agreed. "And such incidents didn't happen after two weeks of the hounds' arrival."

"Meaning the 'Shadow' figured out the 'Bloodhounds' modus operandi and left them to their area." Regene placed a hand under his chin, in deep thought.

While the other three were talking, Nena simply looked at each person in turn, a small bag of chips on her hands.

"That's it!" Louise suddenly said, excited. "We can narrow the search area, based on the 'Bloodhounds' activity! The 'Shadow' will be where the hounds aren't acting!"

"Sounds as good of a guess as any." Regene said, approvingly. He went to the map being displayed on the room's screen wall. "The hounds are keeping to the more densely populated areas in the battlefront. I'm guessing to protect the populace." He took an electronic marker and drew an area on the map. "So that would be around here." He then marked a couple areas in a different color. "That leaves these two candidates for possible sites where the 'Shadow' will operate. It's only one suit without a base so its range of action shouldn't be that big."

"Two areas..." Soma went deep in thought.

"I'd advise against what you're thinking." Regene provided. "We're not yet coordinated enough to split up, and allow me to remind you that this will be our first operation."

"That's!" Soma started, then deflated at being caught. "I suppose you're right..."

Licking her fingers clean after finishing her chips, Nena stood up from her chair and walked to the map. "Let's go to this area." She pointed at one of the possible areas of action for the 'Shadow'.

"Why there?" Louise questioned.

Nena shrugged with her hands up. "It's magic, I don't have to explain jack." She smirked. Louise gave her an annoyed stared, so Nena continued. "It's because there's more towns in that area than on the other. Harder to occupy, so we'll need leaders there more than on the less densely populated area. Hell, we can confirm that with Colonel Grenn. There are a lot more places to resupply, and 'blacky' will need them because she's alone." Regene scoffed at Nena's insistence that the 'Shadow' was a 'she'. "Also, yeah, it's a hunch, so sue me."

"I think it's worth a shot." Soma nodded, with her eyes closed, a hand under her chin in thought. "I agree with Nena, her reasoning is sound." Regene nodded as well, as much as he didn't quite get along with Trinity, he was also a professional and the reasoning was indeed sound. "Very well, team, get ready for the mission. We're leaving tomorrow at 600 to our target area. The sooner we start, the sooner we can rush to the other area in case we guessed wrong." Soma ordered her team, at which they all nodded in acknowledgement. "Operation Shadowstitch is 'go'."

* * *

"Awright, here we go. You ready, Lou?" Nena asked her teammate, while they were standing by outside their mobile suits, at the commanding ship's hangar. The battle was just starting and most soldiers were expecting the same as Team Norns: The 'Shadow' ought to show up.

"Y-yes, yeah. I'm all good." She replied, startled at the redhead's sudden appearance.

"Remember we got your back, don't worry too much. We ain't gonna be fighting against the enemy as a whole, just the 'Shadow'. See ya out there!" Nena patted Louise's shoulder and walked towards her GN-XIII.

As soon as Nena was out of hearing range, Regene subtly approached Louise. "Remember to take your medicine before we engage, Halevy." Was all he said, without looking at her, then walked to his own mobile suit.

Louise patted her side pocket, feeling the pill case, then went to start up her machine.

"Get ready to launch, Team Norns. It should be about time the 'Shadow' appears." The notice sounded from the command center inside their cockpits.

"Acknowledged, command. Norn 1, launching." Soma replied.

"Norn 2, on the way!" Nena said, excitedly.

"Norn 3, commencing the mission." Regene notified the others.

"Norn 4, zooming in!" Louise psyched herself up.

Once the Team Norns entered the battlefield, they saw the skirmish. Vietnamese Tierens struck and vanished amongst the jungle trees, the A-Laws missiles missing their targets. The thick foliage made mobility harder, and whenever the red GN-XIII's of the A-Laws entered the jungle in full, they'd usually get ganged up. Even with those advantages, though, the numeric and technological superiority of A-Laws made itself apparent, managing to advance deeper and deeper inside enemy territory.

"Lou, 'zooming in'?" Nena poked fun at Louise's choice of launching words, chuckling.

"I-it's the only thing that came to mind!" The blonde angrily replied.

"Lou 'The Bee'! Zoom zoom!" She continued mocking her. At the same time Regene rolled his eyes and Soma could feel a drop of cold sweat slide down her face.

"Stop iiiiit!" Louise demanded.

"Ok, ok, that's enough, girls." Soma attempted to recover the mission's seriousness. "Look alive, our target could appear at any moment."

"I dislike how it's still dark enough for them to sneak by." Regene commented, his eyes sharply scanning the battlefield.

"Very well, start up with your duties. Maintain communication at all times, go!" Soma ordered the team, and each one followed the decided plan. Regene went to the commander's center at the top of the battleship, Louise shot up and flew around the battlefield like a hunting hawk, while Nena and Soma assisted destroying any Tierens that got too close for comfort to the base.

And then Louise saw it. It had been nearly a miracle that she had turned to the exact spot where she noticed it, since it flew past almost too quickly to see it. Now was when her training with Nena paid off. She always wondered why she'd force her to follow targets with her eyes instead of using the targetting aids but now she knew.

"I spotted the 'Shadow' at the northern quadrant! It'll reach you guys in about ten seconds!" She yelled to the team.

"Roger that, Norn 4. Get into position, Norn 2." Soma commanded as she kicked a Tieren off her mobile suit's lance.

"I'm there Norn 1! She seems to have noticed us but is still on course to strike!" Nena readied the long rifle she had requested in preparation for the mission, and let loose a couple shots that barely missed the target. After the two shots, she didn't have the chance to launch a third one since the black GN-X was already on her. She could barely believe such speed could be produced by a GN-X. Taking a step back she noticed she was a fraction of a second too slow and the GN-X's blade went for her arm.

Thankfully, Soma parried the blow in the nick of time. Pushing the GN-X back, she lunged with her suit's lance, which was parried by the GN-X in reply. The 'Shadow' pulled back and vanished into the jungle.

"Damnit, don't let her get away!" Nena yelled. Shooting at wherever she saw the black mobile suit, she cleared a few trees off the way, while Soma cut down the others.

"Get ready." Regene called, then took out the suit's customized bazooka. Soma pulled back, and then a powerful beam stopped the 'Shadow' on its tracks, nearly blowing it up. "Close up its path!" He told his teammates.

"I can't let you escape!" Louise sliced and diced with lightning speed, the 'Shadow' effortlessly parrying every one of her pass throughs. Meanwhile, Nena extended her long rifle for a sharpshot.

"Attagirl, keep her busy..." She whispered, the crosshairs stabilizing on the black GN-X. "Take this!" She yelled, but the target exhibited incredible reflexes by dodging the shot at the same time as it kicked Louise up. "What the hell?!" Nena screamed in disbelief.

Immediately after, it rushed up, and sliced off one of Louise's mobile suit's legs. "LOU!" Nena yelled, and Louise grit her teeth. Another bazooka shot managed to stop the 'Shadow' on its assault, and thankfully, also managed to call for its attention.

"I'm ok, keep at it!" Louise called out. She flew up to get out of the battle for the moment.

The black suit rushed over to Regene's location, but quickly noticed Soma charging at it, barely evading an end by impalement. She swung the lance in a wide circle, pushing the 'Shadow' back enough distance to then throw it at them. Parrying it away, the 'Shadow' failed to then evade Soma engaging it in close quarters with the GN-XIII's twin sabers, striking blow after blow on the target's own parries, putting them on full defensive stance.

"I got them, start the capturing maneuvers, Norn 3!" Soma screamed, then Regene started up his mobile suit's custom throwable GN-Field generator. It had been planned that either Soma or Nena would engage them into close quarters so Regene could employ the protective field, in a way rather different from what it was usually intended. He tossed the prismatic device, which once engaged trapped both Soma and the 'Shadow' inside. Knowing full well what was going to happen, Soma simply stood on her spot, but the 'Shadow' collided right into the barrier, damaging the suit. Bouncing back, Soma grabbed them with the suit's arms trapping the target's own.

"Impressive. I must admit I didn't expect such a daring maneuver." They finally heard the voice. Soma felt like she had heard it before and Nena immediately recognized it.

"No way...It's you. You're alive?!" She inquired, shocked.

He also recognized the voice immediately. "Nena Trinity. This is a surprise. I was sure you'd have vanished by now." The barrier now went down, so they could take him to the hangars.

"Still got stuff on my plate, I'm afraid." She replied. What was Setsuna doing here? She supposed it made sense in a way, and much of his activities now made sense, too. Celestial Being excelled at such tactics, after all.

"Indeed. We all do." He said, meaning Celestial being as a whole. "I'm afraid I can't allow myself to be caught here, though, for that very same reason." The GN-X smashed its head against the GN-XIII's, making it tumble back. As soon as that happened, Nena raised her rifle and took a potshot at him, destroying the GN-X's right arm. Setsuna quickly rocketed upwards, but didn't expect Louise's GN-XIII had already flown over them and now was charging down. "You're not getting awaaaaaay!" She screamed, and managed to slice the suit's remaining arm. Unfortunately, he didn't even stop to assess the damage and kept flying up, far away from the Team's reach.

"This is your win. We will not meet again." Setsuna acknowledged to the team's frequency for the battle's result. He knew very well that without a base and, more importantly, without the resources, he'd be unable to keep helping the vietnamese. He'd have to escape the country and fight another day. He supposed that at least he managed to delay the A-Laws enough time to have the 'Bloodhounds' arrive, he got some information on A-Laws' tactics, and obtained some parts to repair Exia with what was left of the GN-X. It wasn't a complete loss in any sense of the words.

The team gathered around Soma, watching the quickly diminishing shape of the black GN-X get away. "That was tougher than I expected. Such an experienced pilot..." Regene admired out loud.

Louise was shaking very hard, but thankfully, the medicine she had taken earlier helped keep it manageable. "Holy cow, t-that was...I thought I was going to die." She admitted to the team.

"Are you alright, Lou?" Nena asked her friend.

"Y-yeah, only scared. Everything's on its place, at least on my body. My suit will need a new leg, though."

"That was very well done, Louise. Congratulations on surviving on your first mission, and performing so well. While we didn't manage to fulfill the perfect objective, we managed to remove the 'Shadow' from the battlefield. He won't be returning from that. I'm calling this 'Mission Complete'." Soma assessed the results.

"I just had awesome instructors." Louise smiled, and blushed at the praise.

"Woooo, go team!" Nena celebrated, grabbing Louise's lighter mobile suit from under it's armpits and whirling it around.

"Indeed, I'm impressed. You have learned well. And you performed quite up to my expectations, Trinity, Peries." Regene finally said. "And now that it's done, I'd very much like to rest for the day. Seems like they're wrapping things up here as well. Without the 'Shadow' cutting the company's head, this has become an easy battle." Flying over to the hangar's launching pad, he left the rest of the team behind. Soma stared at the battlefield and, indeed, without the 'Shadow', it had become little more than a carnage, the vietnamese screaming and trying to escape, their forces spreading into the jungle, while the trees were burned down to take their hiding spots away.

"This is awful." Louise spoke what was on the three women's minds. To her opinion, they should've demanded a surrender, instead of trying to wipe out the whole opposition.

Soma sharpened her gaze at the scene. "This is also important to watch. Keep it in your mind, Nena."

"Yeah..." She knew exactly what her silver-haired friend meant. They'd let Kati and Sergei know about what they saw. It was part of the reason why both her and Soma were here. "Head back, Lou. The maintenance crew needs to start on your suit as soon as possible." Nena told the blonde soldier, and she silently obeyed. Both Soma and Nena remained to see the end of the massacre.

* * *

"Lieutenant Peries, I must say, your Team is everything that was promised to us from HQ, and then some. That you managed to deal with the accursed 'Shadow' is a great boon to our efforts here. You can be sure the higher ups will hear about your excellet performance." Col. Grenn praised Soma, after she had finished the debriefing. Looking at the report on his pad and the map on his desk, he erased the blue marks from it symbolically.

"Thank you, sir. I just regret not being able to capture him." She admitted.

"Believe me, knowing he won't be on our back anymore is enough of a victory." He said without looking at her, moving some pieces of his forces towards different areas. "And your success brings me to the next part of your duties."

"Certainly, sir. What would you have my team do?" She stood in attention.

"Peries, the 'Bloodhounds' have proven to be more of a pain than we thought. Now that we have taken their numbers down to three, they have become more reckless. One would think that'd make them easier targets but somehow, they just became stubborn and tenacious instead. I regret to say that my guys just aren't cutting it anymore." He finally turned at where Soma was standing. "We'll have you assist us in a mission to end them once and for all."

"I see. Will we be acting on our own, sir?" Soma inquired. She managed to keep the concern from showing, but the thought of three experienced enemies against them was a tad worrysome. The 'Shadow' had given them a run for their money and she wasn't sure they'd manage it twice in a row.

"Actually, we'll have the Flight No. 7 to assist you guys. We need those damnable 'Bloodhounds' down, and fast. The mission will be conducted in 3 days, hopefully that will be enough time to prepare yourselves." He ordered. "Any questions?"

"None, sir. We'll conduct our duties as ordered." Soma acknowledged the mission, nodding.

"Good. After this, we'll have you rest up and send you back to HQ. With the 'Bloodhounds' out of the picture we'll be able to wrap things up here quickly. Oh, also, I've given orders to the maintenance staff to give priority to you guys, so feel free to request whatever your people thinks you'll need for the mission. You're dismissed."

"Yes, sir!" She shaprly saluted, then exited the office.

Once she was out of the office, Col. Grenn thought out loud. "Those girls are tough. I'd hate to be on the other side of the battlefield, against them. Maybe I should request a team of my own..." He thought, wistfully.

* * *

Soma found Louise alone resting in her barracks. Ever since they arrived, Nena had made sure to bunk with Louise, both to take care and pester the girl, so it felt weird to the silver-haired soldier to find her alone at that moment. Those two had struck a friendship quite quick. In a way it made Soma reflect how easy it apparently came to Nena, making friends. "May I come in, Halevy?" She called for her attention.

"L-lieutenant Peries!" She got up quickly, startled, and saluted.

"Relax. I just came to check up on you. How're you feeling?" She took a seat on the bed where Louise was resting, to encourage a more relaxed atmosphere. Louise took a seat on the desk chair nearby.

"Still a bit jittery and exhausted, but alright. Thank you." The blonde smiled.

"Good, good." Soma took a breath. "We'll be going home soon, after our next mission."

"We have another mission, so soon? Is it about the 'Bloodhounds'?"

"Indeed. But I..." She thought on what she was going to tell her. She had proved herself in their first battle, but still she couldn't shake the feeling. She didn't quite like placing Louise in danger, with so many months left of her training left.

"Is there something wrong, Soma?" Louise asked, concerned.

"No, it's nothing. I actually owe you an apology. I was about to ask you to wait up here while the rest of the team conducted the mission. But I feel it's just my overprotective streak not wanting to expose our pupil to danger."

"Oh." Louise lowered her gaze. "Did I...did I do that bad in the mission?" She asked.

"That's the thing." She placed a hand over Louise's, trying to reassure her. "You actually did very well. Besides, we're a team and we'll protect each other. I shouldn't really worry so much."

"Y-yeah! I mean, well, I know I'm a rookie still, but I need to do this. For the team and for myself. So please, let me show you I can handle it, once more."

"Again, I apologize. The least your deserve is the opportunity after starting so well. Now, rest well, the mission's in three days from now."

"Well, now I'm not sleepy anymore!" She chuckled, and Soma chuckled a bit at that, as well.

"Ok, then. I'll leave you to some peace and quiet, I still got some work to do, I'm afraid."

She got up and walked to the room's door. and before she opened it, Louise called to her. "Soma?"

Soma turned around at that. "Hm? What is it?"

"Thank you. For checking up on me. Sometimes I feel like you two are spoiling me."

Soma just smiled at her and nodded. "You're our friend, after all. Think nothing of it." She exited the room and left Louise alone.

"I honestly feel sometimes like I'm just using you two." Louise lamented, while grasping her cybernetic arm, with a sullen expression on her.

* * *

Awsnaps! Did you like the action!? I really hope you did! Too bad they didn't manage to get the SR Point, he retreats under 5000 HP! As always, I thank you for your review(s) and your reads, and invite you all to leave whatever you wanna tell me, be it by review or by PM. Next chapter is the last of the first half of "A Streak of Crimson", the exciting conclusion will hopefully leave you guys satisfied! I'll see you next time!


	14. Intermission - Armaments of Team Norns

I prepared a little intermission before tomorrow's chapter because I realized it won't be very relevant at any other moment. These are the general specs of the four machines of Team Norns. I understand that such "all on the manual" things are kind of crude, but I couldn't find any moment to describe them organically, nor the way how. As fans of Gundam 00 I'm quite sure you'll quickly understand the basis on their roles, if you haven't already from the previous chapter. Anyways, here they are.

* * *

**Intermission - The armaments of Team Norns**

**GN-XIII High-mobility type  
**

The suit employed by Warrant Officer Louise Halevy, callsign Norn 4. Modified from advice by Team Norns leader Soma Peries, this GN-XIII has been stripped of the bulkier armor parts, leaving a sleek, almost skeleton-like appearance. In return, this suit offers a higher performance speed-wise, managing almost three times as much acceleration and maximum speed. Also dropping the heavy lance that's standard issue for the GN-XIII, this variant wields one plasma saber, a smaller plasma spray gun, and two micro-missile pods on the back, configured to work as aerodynamic stabilizers as well. The legs of the suit have been sharpened, to work as further aerodynamic stabilization and melee weapons as well, but its pilot's skill can't quite employ them to their fullest yet.

**Weapons**

**+GN Vulcan**

Standard issue vulcan guns for suppresive fire.

**+GN Plasma Saber**

A very portable weapon, this plasma saber is usually employed with hit-and-run tactics, in a manner reminiscent of an airborne fencer.

**+Micro-missile pods**

These twin pods, shaped like wings, can carry up to 6 small missiles. The pilot can launch them either individually or as a full salvo.

**+GN Claws**

The High-mobility type retains the standard GN-XIII melee claws.

**+GN Leg Blades**

Based on the same principle as the GN Claws, the High-mobility type's legs can be used as blades.

* * *

**GN-XIII Heavy-armor type  
**

This variant on the GN-XIII, piloted by licensed officer Regene Regetta, callsign Norn 3, goes on the complete opposite direction of the High-mobility type. Trading mobility for great defense, this suit has heavy plates covering arms, legs, and back. By the pilot's choice, the lance was traded for a GN Bazooka, developed from studying the Gundam Virtue's own. Furthermore, the suit carries a vibrating blade combat knife, and a plasma saber. Besides these weapons, it also usually carries a clever application of the standard GN Shield: The GN-Field disruptor mine.

**Weapons**

**+GN Vulcan**

Standard issue vulcan guns for suppresive fire.

**+GN Bazooka**

Based on the Gundam Virtue's Bazooka, the Heavy-armor type carries its bazooka on its back. Due to the lower output of the TAU Drive compared to the true GN Drive, the stopping power is not as great as the original, but it still can blow a hole in most suit's armors.

**+Combat Vibroblade**

More of a tool than an actual weapon, this small knife can still disable an enemy rather quickly. Thanks to the Heavy-armor type's skilled pilot, the knife becomes an even greater threat, being able to dual-wield it with the suit's beam saber, employing it for parries.

**+GN Plasma Saber**

The standard issue plasma saber functions as the single other melee weapon for this suit.

**+GN Field Disruptor Mine**

By analyzing the GN-XIII's Plasma Field Grenades and information from the Gundam Virtue, Regetta has come up with a portable GN Field generator. As opposed to the usual employment of a GN Field, these mines deploy a containment field, which a skillful pilot can use to take an opponent unaware and make them damage themselves by impacting with the suddenly appearing field. In space, these mines stand on the spot and deploy the field; under the Earth's gravity, however, the mines slowly float down thanks to small thrusters embedded on the mine's body. Unfortunately, due to the GN Field's high energy consumption, the containment can only be kept for 10 seconds.

* * *

**GN-XIII Heavy Pike**

The suit employed by Team Norn's leader Soma Peries, callsign Norn 1, this GN-XIII has no evident modification's appearance-wise. However, it has reinforced joints on knees and arms to better wield the suit's namesake: a heavier version of the standard lance. This lance can fold and double as rifle, and furthers its sharpness with the same application that makes GN Claws possible. Besides the lance, the suit retains the standard GN Shield and GN Claws.

**Weapons**

**+GN Vulcan**

Standard issue vulcan guns for suppresive fire.

**+GN Heavy Pike**

The suit's signature weapon, this pike is half-again as large as the standard GN-XIII lance. Carried usually on the suit's back, folded, it quickly extends for impalement and slashes. It can also remain folded to function as a GN Rifle.

**+GN Claws**

The Heavy Pike retains the standard GN Claws

**+GN Shield**

The Heavy Pike also retains the standard GN Shield. However, energy output requires for either the shield or the Heavy Pike be wielded at any time.

* * *

**GN-XIII Long-range type  
**

The suit employed by Lieutenant Nena Trinity, callsign Norn 2, the Long-range type usually covers support roles with it's sniper rifle. This suit is the one that has the least modifications amongst the four Team Norn's machines, only adding wider feet for stabilization and an interface with the suit's camera inside the cockpit which allows for more accurate shots. Due to the added weight of the sniper rifle, this suit has also traded the lance away, but retains most of the other armaments.

**Weapons**

**+GN Vulcan**

Standard issue vulcan guns for suppresive fire.

**+GN Sniper Rifle**

This sniper rifle, based on the Gundam Dynames design, boast an impressive range. Unfortunately and, for the same reason as the Heavy-armor type's lower performance Bazooka, this rifle can't quite perform feats such as stratosphere shots. However, it can still pierce almost any mobile suit armor known clean.

**+GN Plasma Saber**

The standard issue plasma saber.

**+GN Claws**

The Long range type retains the standard GN Claws

**+GN Shield**

The Long range type also retains the standard GN Shield.

* * *

And there you have it. The first half's last chapter is right on schedule for tomorrow. I'm now giving it final touches and then I'll post it. Hopefully this little intermission can help you imagine the battle to follow. I'll see you guys on the next chapter!


	15. Ash-like Snow

We did it, guys. I present to you the end of this fic's first half. Indeed, the chapter's name is inspired by Gundam 00's song of the same name and the final sequence in this chapter will probably work better if you listen to it while reading. That, however, is up to you of course. With nothing else to say, I leave you guys with the chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 13 - Ash-like Snow**

Regene Regetta was feeling a conflict of interests in that moment. With a bag of cookies bought from the nearby vending machine, he drank his tea and reflected.

These cookies tasted like utter crap.

Munching on one of the cookies he knew a moment of choice was upon him. He had provided the 'Bloodhounds' with their TAU Drives as an anonymous sponsor, because he needed someone to oppose A-Laws. And then Ribbons pulled off that magnificent move where he sent him to the A-Laws themselves, to babysit Halevy. It was almost as if Ribbons knew his every move...

And now that he was going to face the very people he had provided, he had to decide. Should he betray everyone right then and there and join the hounds? Become their leader, make them stronger, perhaps begin his own mercenary team to oppose A-Laws, Celestial Being style? Or should he dispose of the hounds via Team Norns, recoup his losses and simply replan for another day?

Ruefully he realized the decision had already been made for him. Joining the hounds was out of the question, he knew Ribbons would find him wherever he went and then he'd get rid of him. On the other hand, he felt it was such a waste of TAU Drives. They were even the good ones!

Good thing he was also a good planner and was always prepared for eventualities like this.

"Oi, purple." A voice shook him from his reverie. "Soma's calling us for a planning session, you coming?"

"Ah, Nena Trinity. I can always count on you to interrupt me on my moments of meditation." He complained, without looking at her.

"Did I upset wittle baby Regene? I'm so sowwy! Well, I'm just the messenger anyways, do whatever you want." Nena crossed her arms and clicked her lips. It was a small blessing that both were professional enough to know how to fight together. They'd probably be both dead if their relationship outside of their mobile suits continued insdie of the battlefield. Maybe the whole team. She turned on her feet's balls and walked back, presumably to the meeting room. "Seriously, I'm cursed from having to work with you."

Regene audibly sighed once she was away. "No one has to know. I could do it, you know? 'Where's Trinity?' They'd ask. 'Last time I saw her, two 'Bloodhounds' were playing ping pong with her suit's arms and head. Shame, really. Miss the little twerp already.'" He got up and grabbed the bag of cookies. Once he was by the trashcan, he opened its lid and threw the bag in.

"Those cookies seriously suck."

* * *

"Y'know, for an intelligence gathering assignment, we didn't really gather that much intelligence while we were here." Nena quipped, while they were waiting on Regene inside the meeting room. "Like, we arrive and they send us to the 'Shadow'. Then they send us to the hounds. And then they send us home!" She threw her arms up. "I mean, I'm not complaining, I kinda wanna see Riya and Patters and Kati, but talk about a misleading assingment!"

"I know, right?" Louise agreed. "I was actually thinking the same thing."

"At least it turned out alright." Soma provided. "I'm just glad they didn't make us join the main force's efforts. I'll be happier the sooner they send us back."

Both Nena and Louise shuddered at the memories of the mobile suit massacre from the last mission's end.

"Well, you're soldiers. You'd better get used to it." The meeting room's door opened suddenly and then Regene entered. He had his perennial scowl painted on his face, wiping away crumbs from his lip with a napkin. He tossed it into the room's trashcan and took a seat.

"And sunshine arrives..." Nena complained. To Soma's relief, Regene didn't oblige her into an insult volley match. If anything, she was thankful Regene barely did, the one time she could remember was when he was furious from becoming a flour ghost. She suspected it had more to do with the flour waste than with the actual prank, from what he had screamed.

Louise for her part was always polite with Regetta when she wasn't being convinced to prank him by Nena. "Good day, Captain Regetta." She greeted him. He only raised a hand in acknowledgement, closing his eyes.

"Well then, now that we're all here, let's begin with the briefing." Soma started, the wall's display turning on with a movement of her hands. On the display was a map now familiar to them, only this time the blue marks had disappeared and the red marks had been reduced to a single one. "Regarding the 'Bloodhounds' elimination mission, our orders are to disable them and capture at the very least one of them. HQ needs to find out who they are and if they're working for someone, with the more of them captured, the better. They have three units remaining, and the pilots of the two downed suits are unaccounted for." She used a pointer to circle an area on the map. "They were last sighted in this area, and we've been ordered to scout for them. Flight squadron seven will assist us once they're sighted, mainly with disabling tactics. We'll conduct a full briefing with them tomorrow, to coordinate and commence our mission the day after."

Soma hit a button and the screen changed to a diagram of the 'Bloodhounds' customized GN-XIII. While Regene held his chin between his right hand's thumb and index, Louise leaned forward intently and Nena whistled in admiration. "Now, these are the units that the hounds are using. While their full capabilities and schematics are unavailable to us, the crews managed to partially recover one of the two units that were shot down. This is what the engineers have managed to guess. Their suits are at least three times faster than our own, sans Louise's high-mobility type. They all have the same weapons payload between them: a spray gun, twin sabers, a grenade launcher and a beam rifle. Needless to say they're rather loaded. Yes, Trinity?" She gave the word to Nena who was raising her hand like a schoolgirl.

"So, they have high speed and high attack power? I'm guessing their operation time is low, though? Like, they rely on quick-hitting tactics or something?" She asked.

"I was getting there." Soma said, while smirking at Nena's impatience. "They actually have long operation times and their armor is rather sturdy."

"H-how are we even going to take such machines down?" Louise spoke her fears without thinking.

"It's simple." Regene provided. "For one thing, they'll be confident on their machines. Didn't you wonder how the A-laws managed to take almost half of them down already? I'm sure it took quite the effort and that's why they're requesting our help but, rest assured, they're by no means invincible. And we have tactics. We'll use the GN Field trap-mine again but this time, I've made a little modification to them." He smiled arrogantly.

"I hadn't heard of this, what is it?" Soma crossed her arms and asked, curious.

"The mines will also have a jamming signal that stops their movement altogether." He started, then decided a little lie would put him on the clear. "I've managed to improve on it by analizing the data on our fight with the 'Shadow'. While I'm not sure it'll work with anything that's not a GN-XIII, I'm sure it'll work on them. Why, I guarantee it. I only need for you to keep them on position for long enough to trap them. Just make sure to run out before the mine goes off."

Nena had to admit, it was a genius idea. But she still felt like something else could be done to it. "That should work but...would it be possible to make them be like sticky mines? Toss them on their suit, and then trigger them? Would that be possible?"

"The portable drive is too heavy to make it stick when thrown." Regene rejected the idea, partially out of pettiness but also out of fact. They were indeed too heavy.

But Louise got an idea herself. "How about if we stick them manually? Like, not throwing them, but sticking them by manipulator? In melee range." She opined.

Regene was deep in thought. The three women were expectant, awaiting for his answer. "That...would actually work. That's brilliant." He finally sentenced.

"Awyeah! Dual idea attack!" Nena motioned for Louise to give her a high-five, which she reciprocated with a grin.

"Excellent, then." Soma nodded. "However, should we all carry one mine? That gives us four attempts."

"I can carry two. And making Halevy carry one will only slow her suit down. I wasn't kidding when I said they're heavy. So that's only me, Trinity and you." Regene said, then suddenly got up. "If you'll excuse me, Norn leader, I'll need to start right away on the modifications on the mines. They're not remote controlled as they are. I'm sure you won't need me for the rest of the meeting."

"That's quite alright, you've already provided a magnificent plan." His silver-haired leader said.

"Very well, then." He bowed, then exited the room.

"I have to admit, even the purple jerk has good ideas sometimes." Nena reluctantly said once he was out. Soma felt a drop of cold sweat slide down her face at that.

"We were pretty much done, regardless." Soma concluded. "Unless you have any questions?"

"I do! Will we have to wake up early for this mission, too?" Nena half-jokingly, half-seriously, asked.

"I'm afraid so, Trinity. And you'd do well to always wake up early, anyways." She raised her eyebrow, while Louise chuckled.

"Bummer."

* * *

Things had been quiet lately around the base, to Patrick. Due to the creation of the Autonomous Peacekeeping Forces, duties that would usually be assigned to his people were instead assigned to the A-Laws. Truth be told, he kind of missed flying around on a mission. But it couldn't be helped. So he'd spend his days listless, the only highlights of them being whenever he saw his Colonel. How the woman managed to remain busy with the decrease on duties was anyone's guess. Administration stuff, he supposed.

Dressed in his federation uniform, he sat on a chair inside the hangar, looking at the Throne Drei. He sighed. What could he even do, anyways? It wasn't like he could just tell Nena to call it off and come back. Hell, if she wanted to fight so much, she could join the 'Team Angel'. He was sure -something- would eventually come up. Maybe.

"C'mon, boss, it's been like three months already, haven't you been calling her like every three days?" Patrick suddenly heard the voice of William and Bernie's distinctive sound whenever he stepped with his artificial foot. Even if he could've gotten a better implant, Bernie preferred the heavier one. He said it made him feel like a cool robot.

"'Sup, guys?"

"Not much." Bernie replied, putting his arms behind his head. "We were running some tests with Riya. That kid could give the engineers at A-Laws a run for their money with the modifications she's making on the Jinx. Even if the Efreet got scrapped not everything's being wasted."

"And dem Haros." William pointed a finger at Bernie, raising his eyebrows.

"Dem Haros. I want a Haro, man." Bernie wistfully said.

"A-Laws..." Patrick repeated. He turned back at the Drei, sharpening his gaze.

"She's gonna be angry if you keep worrying about her like that, y'know?" Will put a hand on Patrick's shoulder.

Patrick closed his eyes and smirked. If he was being honest, the thought had already crossed his mind. And another thought had also come to him: he wasn't being himself at all. He knew his little sister would be fine. It was seriously cramping his style. "Y'know what? You're frickin' right." Bernie and Will both smiled at the sudden outburst. "Let's do something about this, the 'Team Angel' way! Tell Carlos we're going drinking after work today!" He declared, puffing out his chest.

"Uncle Jimmy's bar?" Will turned to Bernie.

"Uncle Jimmy's bar." Bernie nodded, crossing his arms and closing his eyes, while nodding.

"Uncle Jimmy's bar!" Patrick finally confirmed, patting both of his friend's shoulders. This was good, he decided. He'd keep going for now, enjoy his people and wait for his little sister. He'd see her soon anyways. His birthday was approaching and he was sure they'd allow her some free time for that.

* * *

"Damnit!" Gerrard struck the ground in anger. The leader of the 'Bloodhounds' could still feel the sting of failure, after losing Nate and Alouette. And if that wasn't enough, they couldn't destroy the fallen suits quickly, now A-Laws had a general idea of thei suit's capabilities. Things were looking grim.

He turned his eyes to where Heinz and Allen were resting. The former, a blonde burly man with a slight tan and short cropped hair in the military way, had a moist cloth over his face, sitting on his chair like a corpse, the rising and falling of his chest the only indication of life. Allen was also sitting, but he was bent forward, his long brown hair covering most of his features, staring at the ground. The lean man had none of the usual joy and funny personality that was known of him. He just had a vacant stare, and would ocasionally rub his eyes, tired. The jungle's black dirt caked all of their boot's soles, their clothes were starting to feel heavy and their body's ached. Gerrard took his eyes away from his people. He was close to calling it off already.

But they couldn't do it, the three of them knew. They had to avenge Nate and Alouette, somehow. A small part of Gerrard's mind said they were talking nonsense, the dead didn't have any need for revenge. And if they were around they'd tell them to just go back. It was tactically sound. Katharon still needed them for the middle eastern theatre. Gerrard looked at his teammates once again and he yet again saw what trumped their rational part of the brain.

They were frustrated, and angered, and sad. What happened wouldn't do, their suits were superior, -they- were superior to the A-Laws pilots. They had to at least take down the A-Laws command center. No matter the cost.

"I don't have to tell you what you're already thinking, so here's the plan." He said out loud without looking at them, while they turned their heads to where he was starting to rise up to full height. "We're gonna strike at their command center. We know where it is, we know how to approach, and now we have a battle plan. We'll strike at 3 a.m. in the morning. Even those bastards need to sleep."

His two teammates were silent, but attentive.

"We'll take them by surprise, strike as hard as possible and deploy the Plan 529 warhead as deep as we can. We'll most likely not survive. I bet the one who drops it will get caught in the blast." The notion didn't even faze the soldiers, both of whom simply nodded. "We'll do it because the way they're trying to achive peace just isn't right. And for Nate and Alouette. I ask that you get ready, and prepare your mobile suits. We should be able to handle any number of enemies they toss at us."

"For Nate and Alouette." Heinz said, scowling.

"For Nate and Alouette." Allen repeated.

"Right." Gerrard nodded, knowing they were in sync about their duties. Now all that remained was to wait unil the time came.

He opened his locket and looked at the picture inside.

* * *

"The mines are ready, Lieutenant Peries." Regene said as he felt the silver-haired soldier's presence, turning his chair around. The hangar's lights were shining over the four mobile suits of Team Norns. At the desk where he was sitting, schematics of the mines were displayed, clearly from the programming work that Regene had done on them. "They will work without a hitch. Now it's a matter of us being skilled enough to pull it off.

"Right." Soma replied, absentmindedly looking at the mobile suits.

"You have your reservations about this mission, do you not?" Regene guessed.

Soma sighed at being caught. She found it uncanny how Regene could sometimes read people like that. Nevertheless she supposed talking about her concerns should help to partially assuage them. "I keep wondering if Louise just had too much luck at our first mission. A little to either side and her suit's cockpit would have been sliced in half instead of its leg. I wonder if I should make her stay after all. And then there's the fact that the enemy has that willpower that only cornered soldiers have. Things are very grim." She crossed her arms, intently looking at the licensed officer in front of her.

"True enough." He admitted. "It might be better to do that. However, they're still only three, and we're four. Their suits are superior, no doubt. But I'm certain at least three of us are the better pilots. Have her stay on scouting detail, make her some sort of AWACS for this mission. The rest of us are more than enough to handle them once the mines go off." He crossed his arms as well and raised an eyebrow, analyzing Soma's response. "If you're serious about protecting Halevy, then you'll have to apply your full strength. A moment of hesitation will get you killed fast."

Soma smiled at that. If Regene was truly expecting her to bristle at his doubt on her abilities, he wouldn't have it. Nena would probably go for it but Soma knew better, in his way he was also concerned about the team, if only to survive himself. "I think I'll pair her up with Nena instead. My weapon has too much reach and I need a wide open space to perform to my full capability. Your suit wouldn't be able to keep up with her speed." Regene smiled once she said that, amused. "Nena and her have practiced together the most, and they can even perform some combined raids. They're in sync. I'd rather have her close to one of us while she's still learning than far away from us."

"That sounds reasonable." Regene admitted. If one of the hounds caught sight of Louise she'd be a sitting duck. Him and the other two could quite possibly handle the superior enemy machines but not her, not yet. "I see why you're a good leader, Peries."

"I thank you for your praise."

"There's no need. Just perform as you have so far and that's all." He turned around again to look at his work station's display. "While the mines are ready, I'd still like to run a few more simulations before we sortie. Come up with some courses of action. After all, it d-" He was suddenly stopped by an impact from outside which shook the base. The alarm sounded loudly, notifying both Norns that they were under attack. "I'm sure it's them. They're crazy to attack alone! Why not wait for the vietnamese army?" He quickly got up and ran to the pilot's locker rooms, closely tailed by Soma.

"They probably decided to rely on the surprise factor instead. If they're as powerful as the information says then they should be capable to strike with brute force." When they reached the locker room, Nena and Louise were zipping up their suits already.

"What the hell's happening?" Nena yelled. "I was on my seventh dream and suddenly 'kablamo'!"

"Is it them?!" Louise asked, her eyes turning everywhere like a scared small animal.

"Most likely. Get ready people, we might not be able to rely on squad seven from the beginning but we need to scramble NOW!" Soma ordered firmly, suiting up, while Regene was almost done as well in the same room. Issues like what's proper were the last thing on their mind. "Nena, Louise, I want you both to work together. Same plan, just have each other's backs. Me and Regetta will act on our own. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am!" Both Louise and Nena saluted, then grabbed their helmets from the bench. While Nena ran ahead and Soma finished zipping up, Regene roughly grabbed Louise's arm and looked straight into her eyes. "Calm. Down. And take your medicine." He sharply ordered with a low growl, then scrambled away. Soma noticed from the edge of her sight, and calmly approached Louise who was rooted to the spot.

"Are you alright, Louise?" She asked in concern.

"Y-yes!" She jumped on her spot. "Mister Regene just reminded me to calm down, everything's ok!"

"Are you sure?" Soma insisted.

Louise squeezed her leader's hand, in appreciation. "Yes, I'm sure. I'll catch up once I take a few deep breaths." She smiled.

"Very well. Stay close to Nena, take care of each other." Soma half-ordered, half-asked, then rushed to her mobile suit as well.

Louise's smile faltered once Soma was out of sight, then she turned to her locker. Her pill case was waiting inside, from which she took a couple pills and swallowed them.

* * *

"Surrender now and your life will be spared!" Soma screamed at the enemy suits, the shots from her lance's embedded rifle being dodged uncannily fast. "Damn it!" She murmured under her breath when one of the 'Bloodhounds' split from the group and charged at her. The enemy suit was indeed very swift, slashing once, twice, describing a circle with the blades with the next attack, and then pulling back with a trio of potshots from his quickly wielded rifle that made Soma's skill be pushed to the limit. Once the assault was finished, she pushed ahead with her lance, attempting to skewer the enemy suit's limbs. Unfortunately for her she didn't manage to even push him back, the enemy skillfully parrying every blow, and even closing in to kick her away.

On a different part of the battlefield Regene kept shooting blast after blast towards the two remaining suits. One of them picked the bait and rushed over, shooting while he closed by. The shots impacted with Regene's beam saber, which he wielded like a quickly rotating shield. The enemy entered melee range and lunged forward with both blades, but Regene managed to lift his suit's arms in reply and trap the enemy's own under them. He headbutted the enemy while crushing the arms, but unfortunately didn't manage to tear them off. They were very well made. "I suppose the money was well spent." He quipped. Putting his shoulder between the enemy and himself, he guessed the kick that was going to impact him and received the hit without even budging. "You are good, but I am better." He taunted. Putting away his bazooka he drew a small knife and tossed it up and down mockingly in his hand, while the other readied his beam saber. "Come on, show me your true skill." He continued baiting the enemy.

Fortunately for him the enemy did take it. Crossing his blades like a butcher sharpening his tools, he stood to full height and mock cracked his suit's neck 'muscles' menacingly. "You'll rue the day when you decided to challenge me." Regene heard over the comms, which made him smirk. Both suits rushed forward and began their clash.

* * *

"Pick on him while I prepare to snipe, Norn 4!" Nena called over to her partner. Setting herself on a nearby roof she started gathering on GN particles for her blast.

"Roger that!" Louise replied. Pushing her suit's speed to the limit she sliced at the remaining 'Bloodhound'. They turned quickly and slashed back, but not fast enough. Like a man attempting to swat a mosquito he moved his suit around, Louise's slashes barely managing to scratch the superior armor, yet getting to distract him effectively. She put some distance between him and her and launched a couple missiles from her suit's lithe backpack. Both missiles impacted on the enemy's shield without any apparent damage. "Their armor is too thick, I'm doing nothing!"

"Oh, you're doing something, honey. You can be sure of that." Nena calmed Louise's frustrations while placing the enemy on her rifle's crosshairs. Once the enemy put the shield down, she pulled the trigger. "Here's a little gift from the Norns, buddy." The beam flew and impacted their foe on his shield's arm, melting it enough to render it useless. Even if it didn't quite fall down he wouldn't be using that shield anytime soon, nor his double blades. "You still got missiles, Norn 4?" Nena asked as the enemy suit went up to her.

"Only another couple. Keep him on you!" Louise approached cautiously and prepared to launch her missiles.

* * *

"They're weak, keep at it!" Gerrard screamed, while slashing repeatedly on the GN-XIII with the large, lustrous white lance. "Do it fast and we'll be able to have a field day on the lesser suits!" Even if he didn't manage to decisively land any strike, he knew he had the upper hand. His foe was fully on the defensive.

"This dumbass thinks he can take me on melee!" Allen yelled, taken over by the fury of battle. "Watch me cut some slabs of metal from this fat guy! Hahahahaha!" He was embroiled in a dance with the enemy's bulkier suit, failing to notice that he was pushed back as much as he pushed. "You're no match for me, fattie! Take this, and this!"

"I'm getting overwhelmed here, hurry up with your guys! Shit!" Heinz cursed as his shield arm got melted off. "I'm hit! I can't use my left arm anymore!"

"Hang in there, Heinz, I'm almost done!" Allen said over the comms. He was sure his fight was almost over. Yet right when he felt he was getting the upper hand, the heavily-armored suit moved with a cadence unexpected of it's frame. Allen lunged with his twin sabers, but got parried with an almost elegant economy of movement with the back of the enemy's right hand. Quickly employing the momentum, it elbowed the middle joints of Allen's suit's arms, crushing them apart. "What...what the hell?!" Shocked by the development, he took a step back, but the enemy wouldn't let go, employing a series of punches, starting with three punches to his suit's middle, center and then the head, staggering the camera.

With yet another swift movement, the enemy suit swiped the ground off of him. Perhaps completely taken by surprise it never occured to Allen to simply elevate himself away, and as his suit was tripping down, the heavily-armored enemy impacted his suit's mid-section with an open palm, propelling him to a nearby tree which got crushed by the impact. From all the jerking around, Allen felt sick and threw up. And then he heard him.

"So disappointing. Had you kept your suit's superiority in range you could have probably lasted longer. But alas, I'm simply much better than you." Regene rushed to the fallen suit's position, kicked it to make it lay on its stomach, then stepped on its head, crushing it apart. "And now..." He sentenced, sticking one of his two GN Field mines on the enemy's back, then flying backwards.

"Son of a bitch, I'll kill you!" Allen attempted to rise up, just to feel his suit power down as it got surrounded by a containment field. "What the fuck is happening?!"

"Ah, ah, ah. Such language! You should be a better loser, my friend. Just stay down while I deal with the rest of your people." Regene mocked his fallen enemy and propelled himself to where Nena and Louise were fighting another of the enemies.

* * *

"Damn, you're tough!" Gerrard admitted out loud. "But how much longer can you keep it up?" He kicked the enemy GN-XIII away, then prepared himself to rush in with another series of slashes with his saber.

Soma braced herself for the kick, then jumped with the help of her lance. Her enemy's slashes impacted on the lance instead of her. Once she was above her foe she propelled herself further up by standing on his shoulders, then flew high, sure that he would follow.

And follow he did. Perhaps overcome by his need to strike at least one blow he started slashing recklessly. "True enough, I can't keep up for much long-agh!" She replied, then one of her feet got cut off. "But while you need to hit me repeatedly I only need one hit!" Using the quickly cooling remains of her suit's stump she blinded the enemy's camera temporarily. While he was staggering she took her one mine and stuck it on his mid-section.

"What was that? A mine!" He motioned to remove it but then the green protective field surrounded him and the suit started powering down. Both contained suit and mine started floating down.

'I almost didn't make it...' Soma reflected to herself.

* * *

"I got him!" Nena yelled to make Louise fly backwards enough for her to shoot the remaining enemy with another well placed sniper shot. This time she managed to tear away his entire right leg.

"You bastards! What are you doing to our suits, how are you managing?!" Heinz yelled in anger. They had somehow managed to best his two teammates and capture them alive. How was it possible, to drain them of all energy almost immediately?

"Hurry Norn 2!" Louise swiftly approached the staggering foe and placed her saber above his cockpit. "Surrender now!"

Heinz figured this was it. It was over now. They'd be captured, interrogated, perhaps executed afterwards. The three of them had failed.

Or perhaps not, it occured to him. Maybe as a final gift from fate he was the one to carry the Plan 529 warhead. 'Gerrard, Allen, I'm sure you'll understand. For freedom.' He smiled the smile of a condemned man. Swiftly he slapped away the threatening saber then lunged forward with the warhead on hand. He then stuck it on his enemy's head.

And precisely at the same time Regene gently stuck the GN Field remote mine to his back. "Ahhh, you were almost done, friend!" He laughed, then took a couple steps back to activate it.

For her part, Louise got surprised by the sudden strike on her camera. Not being able to see, she simply tried to place her suit's manipulators on the warhead. Right at that time Nena reached Louise and noticed the bomb. "Careful Louise, I think that thing is-oh crap..." A visible countdown suddenly started.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Not that it matters, I suppose, We'll all go together to hell now." Heinz sentenced his enemies. "That thing can swallow twenty kilometer's around it once it blows up. Enjoy whatever's left of life for you!"

Louise froze at what he said. They were all going to die? If she handled the bomb incorrectly it'd probably explode right then and there. She didn't want to die, not yet. Not before enacting her revenge!

"You bastard!" Nena's voice reached Louise. From that she thought of her teammates and how kind they had been. She then thought of all the people that'd get caught in the blast. While they were soldiers it still felt so sad. Her eyes started getting covered by tears.

'You can be so much more, Louise. Haven't you showed us? You're making great progress!' Nena's voice again came to her, in memories. Perhaps she could truly be more. In a moment that she couldn't quite explain she shot up into the skies.

"Let's calm down for a moment and think of what we can d-HALEVY!" Regene started, then saw how Louise's mobile suit quickly rose into the heavens.

"This is what we can do." Louise said, sobbing. "I c-can do something good, something that'll save a lot of people!" She tried to justify herself.

"Goddamnit Louise, get back here right now! We'll think of something!" Nena yelled over the comms.

"Nena. Thank you for everything. Soma, and Mister Regene too." She tearfully thanked her friends. Then she reached a good enough height. "I'm so sorry, Mama. Papa. I...I'll see you soon."

She left the controls in automatic and grabbed her face in sorrow. "Yet...I-I didn't want to die yet..."

"Halevy!" Soma felt herself at a loss. How could anyone foresee such an event? She had to do something quick about this. And then the second unexpected event happened. "Nena!"

Nena shot up after Louise's suit. Quickly reaching it, she moved with incredible precision and speed. Cutting the cockpit from the suit and immdediately after, the head, she then kicked the remains of the suit away, for them to explode. Being unable to see, Louise suddenly felt the impacts and then her cockpit softly landing on a surface. "Regene, catch her!" She heard Nena's voice, then felt her cockpit propel downwards. Once she felt another impact, her cockpit's airbags inflated to cushion her as much as they could.

"You're not dying today, Lou." She heard Nena's voice once again. "I told you I'd protect you, didn't I?" Silence overcame the team. "This is better, she's still unbloodied by battle, whereas I..." Nena lowered her head. "Soma, tell Patters I'm sorry. I suppose this is how I find my answer." Her voice started to sound strained, from the fear she was feeling at that moment. "I g-guess this is it. Maybe this way I can make it a bit better." She looked at the bomb's countdown. "Heh, five seconds." A pause. "Maybe if I-"

A gigantic explosion made the night's sky turn to day. Regene felt the shockwave and the absurdity of the situation. "Holy shit, Trinity..."

"This is a lie, a lie! Nena!" Soma felt overwhelmed. One moment Louise was shooting upwards and the next Nena followed her. And through it all nothing came to her mind. She failed as a leader and, more importantly, she failed to keep her friend safe. "This isn't happening!" She placed her head between her hands in disbelief.

Louise simply couldn't believe it either. It wasn't supposed to end like this. Her losing another precious person. "...N-nena?" Her face covered in tears contorted itself in pain. "T-this can't be, why would you do that? Come back..."

**"NENAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"**

* * *

Welp, that happened. And this is how we conclude "Season 1" of "A Streak of Crimson". What will happen on the second half, our "second season"? Well, you'll have to wait at least a couple weeks. I'm taking a little break to gather my thoughts about where I wanna take this, and to rewatch the show's actual season 2 for inspiration, and then I'll resume where we left off. Meanwhile, I know I don't ask anyone to write reviews but what you guys can give me as feedback, by way of the reviews wall or through a private message will greatly help me. Once again I thank you all for reading this, hopefully you're all still enjoying it. And, well, I will see you all in two weeks, then!


	16. Second Season Trailer

I figured, as the week ran its course, that I couldn't leave my dear readers hanging out in the cold. So I worked super hard to give you guys a small preview for the second season of "A Streak of Crimson"!. So here you are, my friends.

* * *

**Second season TRAILER**(EXCLAMATION POINTS)

*Ominous latin-chanting music starts*

Announcer: In a WORLD on the verge of destruction, where the one thing that ensures your survival is power...

Ribbons[sitting on his space loft]: Revive, bring me all the burgers.

Revive[shocked into disbelief]: ...a-all of them, sir?

Ribbons[enraged]: ALL OF THEM!

Announcer: Where conflict runs rampant, and only by establishing your dominance can you get ahead...

Child-Tieria[taking a cookie from child-Regene]: MINE!

Child-Regene[crying]: MOOOOOOM, TIERIA TOOK MY COOKIE!

A Veda-terminal strangely reminiscent of GlaDoS, wearing an apron[in monotone]: Bad boy. Give your brother his cookie.

Announcer: A WORLD where those that go beyond the threshold of sanity lose their identity...

Setsuna[wearing his civilian clothes]: I *puts his Exia mask on* am GUNDAM!

Allelujah: Didn't you do this one before, already?

Setsuna: I said I'm Gundam, not Shakespeare.

Announcer: In this WORLD, the weak are preyed upon and hope is nowhere in sight...

Anew[wearing a pink apron over innovade clothes, her face neutral]: We ran out of flour for the cookies.

*Latin-chanting music goes into one-woman wail*

Regene[screaming to the skies]: NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!1!1one!

Announcer: UNTEEL NAAAAAAO!

*Three feminine silhouettes, and a slight male one, appear against a dazzling light, doing a slow power-walk*

*Music stops and a vynil disc scratch is heard*

*The shade with the twin-tails suddenly catches on fire, and screams with Nena's voice* AAAAAAHHHHH, I'M ON FIRE, HAAAAALP!

*The other three shades toss her to the ground and stomp on her to turn off the fire*

Announcer: DIS SUMMAH!

*Blink-182's "All the small things" starts playing*

Louise[driving a crimson hot-rod car at high speeds through the city, turning sharp curves, wearing shades]: Awyeee, I'm the best driver ever!

*Nena, Soma and Regene throwing up on the back seat*

Announcer: IT'S TIME FOR ADVENTURE!

Soma[turning a corner in a hallway, running and screaming]: RUN AWAY!

*Louise, Nena and Regene run after her, then at the corner's turn an avalanche of Haros flood in*

Announcer: LUUUURV!

Riya[on Lalah Sune's classical clothes]: I love you, Angura. *Kisses Purple Haro*

Purple Haro[with Amuro Ray's voice]: I love you, Lalah...I MEAN! I love you, Riya, I love you, Riya.

Announcer: FRUNDSHEEEP!

Nena[taking a bottle of vodka from Soma]: Deleesh! *Hits her bottle to Soma's own*

*Regene and Louise passed out on the back*

Announcer: AND SURPRISES!

Nena[utterly shocked]: YOU'RE MY DAD?!

Ribbons[opening up his arms]: Come to your papa's arms, my darling!

Nena[running into Ribbon's arms happily]: DADDY!

Announcer: When the greatest team the A-Laws has produced...

*The four figures of team Norns resume their power walk, now that Nena's fire is doused*

Announcer: ...can't make it into the fray, it's time to call TEAM NORNS!

*The four figures suddenly stop walking*

All of the team, at the same time[angrily complaining]: HEY!

*A huge logo that says "TEAM NORNS" impacts the screen*

Announcer: TEAM NORNS, SEASON TWO!

*The "S" on the logo unscrews and hangs*

Lockon[appearing in front of the logo, closer to the watcher]: Is it my turn now? No? Yeah?

*Screen turns to black. Music fades out, then stops*

Lockon's voice: Aw, shucks...

* * *

Or maybe I just wanted to mess with you guys...ALMOST 1000 VIEWS, OHMYGAWD! I love you guys~ Progress on the first chapter of season 2 stands at 15% now. Laters!


	17. The Shackles of Memory

Why, hello there! Welcome back, my dear readers! As we reach the second half of this fanfic I can only thank you all for giving me the chance to tell you this story. Through your reads and your reviews I feel fortunate to be able to reach you. Now that the story's beyond 1k views (!) I feel like it has hit a decent number of milestones. Hopefully it'll keep entertaining you as we move along.

Well then, without further ado...

* * *

**Chapter 14 - The Shackles of Memory**

Louise slept, and dreamt, for nightmares were also a kind of dream. In her dream, she could see her family, being razed by an unrelenting fire, yet prodding her to go ahead, to not let herself be swallowed by it. Begging her to live. Tears streamed down her face, yet she ran. Amongst furious flames and burned hands she ran, and then a hand appeared above her. The hand was inviting, and it felt warm once touched as opposed to scalding. Yet as it was pulling her up, fire took on that saving arm as well. Burning, melting, the hand gave away and Louise fell. And fell. And fell...

"N-no!" She suddenly murmured, and woke up, then realized it was just a nightmare. Rubbing her eyes and stretching her aching back, she sat straighter on her chair inside the infirmary, where a still-recovering Nena lain. Ever since the redhead had been retrieved from her cockpit, and given treatment, Louise had remained by her side. The only other person, besides the doctor, that stayed at the infirmary almost as much as Louise was Soma, albeit Regene would drop by from time to time to scold Louise and remind her of her own medication and her need to eat, sometimes mumbling 'curse you, Ribbons' under his breath. Once Nena's skin had recovered enough and the doctor had allowed it, Louise would sometimes grab Nena's hand and keep it between hers. She took relief on the fact that Nena grabbed her hand back, even unconscious.

The one thing Louise didn't do was cry. She had cried enough, had been vulnerable enough. Because she was weak, Nena was like this. She put Nena's hand to her forehead and closed her eyes.

She didn't hear Soma enter the infirmary room and place a hand on her shoulder. "Have you slept today, Louise?"

"I just woke up, actually. Felt like stretching my back a bit." She took one of her hand's off of Nena's and placed it over Soma's.

"Why don't you take a little walk? Maybe a shower? I'm sure you'll feel refreshed once you do. I'll stay by Nena's side while you go."

Louise put her nose next to her armpit. If she wasn't completely awaken now she was. "Ugh, yeah. I guess I kinda stink already. I suppose I can go take a quick shower." She put Nena's hand's back to her cheek this time, then released it. And as she was getting up she heard a moan.

"Ugh. What day is it, is it a school day?" Nena groggily inquired, her eyes closed. "I feel like I drank the Smirnoff secret stash by myself..."

"NENA!" Both Soma and Louise screamed in joy, then jumped on Nena to hug her.

"Ooof! Ow ow ow! I love you too, my honeys, but you're kinda hurting me here!" She complained, yet hugged her friends back. After a while she did decide that she needed some air after all. "C-can't breathe now..."

Despite her oath Louise found herself crying. She decided it was alright this time for they were tears of joy. Soma smiled warmly at Nena, and then at her. They both sat on the bed on opposite sides, looking at the redhead in relief. Nena was finally ok.

After a moment, though, the doctor entered the room from hearing the ruckus. He only needed a glance to see what was going on, yet he still had a duty to perform, so against his wish to let the three women enjoy their happiness, he spoke up. "Ladies, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to let me check up on Lieutenant Trinity's vitals before I allow you to keep hounding her." He said as he approached the monitor on the bed's side.

"Hmmm, vitals are normal, a little bit of low sugar but then again it was time for dinner already. Let me see your eyes, Lieutenant." He asked Nena, putting a light on his hand and directing it at her eyes. "I was worried there would be damage but I'm glad you healed up just fine. Your skin looks much better, too."

Remembering everything as the doctor was examining her, she inquired. "Was I all burned up and stuff?"

"Second-degree burns all over the place, and a few third-degree burns. Thankfully, the latter were on your feet and your arms. They'll take a bit more to heal but you'll make a full recovery very soon. You also had some lacerations, yet thankfully, no internal injuries. I must ask, though. How did you manage to survive THAT?" He crossed his arms, satisfied on his patient's state for the moment.

"I can answer that." Regene's voice came from the room's entrance. Nena did a double-take from seeing him enter. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Trinity, although I doubt it, but you used your suit's GN Shield coupled with the containment mine, did you not?"

"Actually, yeah. That's exactly what happened." Nena confirmed. "On the last three seconds I realized I still had my mine on me. You used your last one on the guy me and Lou were fighting."

"Magnificent. That gives the mines an entirely new set of practical uses. Very valuable information." He placed his chin on his hand in thought.

"And here I thought you had shown up because you were worried about me, purple. Figured you were getting soft thanks to my heroic stand." She smirked at him.

"Nonsense." He smirked back at her, yet his face betrayed a glint of approval.

"Well then! I'd like for you, Lieutenant, to remain until tomorrow to gather on some final data about your health, but I think we're pretty much good to go. I'll call for a nurse to bring you some actual food, I'm sure you're famished."

"Very much, yeah. Thank you, doc." She replied.

"Then, if you'll excuse me. Don't manhandle her too much, please." The doctor exited, leaving the team alone.

"Hands." Nena opened and closed her hands repeatedly, looking at both Soma and Louise in turn, inviting them to grab them. They happily complied. "Hmmmm, I got my girls with me, purple's suddenly less of a jerk. Being a heroine feels gooooood." She closed her eyes contentedly.

"Don't get used to it, Trinity." Regene sat down on the base of the bed, his arms crossed. Nena put her feet over his legs yet he didn't complain. Even if he'd never admit it he was glad the woman was ok.

"I'm not doing that again anytime soon, though. Or ever, hopefully. Andy, Patters and Kati would kill my corpse deader."

"So would I." Soma directed a sharp gaze at her.

Louise remained silent, yet she did show discomfort at the prospect of seeing Nena caught in such a blast again.

"I'm sure you'll find other ways to demonstrate your recklessness. That's how foolhardy pilots behave, after all." Regene quipped.

"Bite me, purple."

"I'm not too fond of overcooked meat, I'm afraid."

After a bit of comfortable silence, where Nena closed her eyes and held her friends' hands in hers, she spoke up again. "Guys, can you leave me for a sec with Lou? I'd like to talk to her." She asked with her eyes closed.

Silently, both Regene and Soma got up, the latter placing a hand on Nena's shoulder then leaving. Once they were out, Nena turned to look at Louise, who had a slightly saddened expression.

"I know, I know, I shouldn't have done that..." Louise spoke up first, looking straight at Nena.

"I'm just glad you're ok." The redhead said, instead. "But actually, I understand why you did what you did, and I can't really say it was a completely terrible decision."

That took Louise by surprise, she was sure Nena would scold her or something. "You're not angry?"

"How could I? It all happened so freakin' fast. And you were the one with a delicate bomb stuck to their head. You decided to spare all of us, the heroine was going to be you." She rubbed Louise's hand. Then turned to look at the ceiling. "If there's anyone who acted like a dumbass was me but I...I couldn't let you die. I guess I'm the one who should be apologizing, actually."

Louise suddenly hugged Nena tight. "Nena, you saved my life and you even came back. I can only thank you, for both things."

"Let's just hope we don't need to do something dumb like that again, huh?" She rubbed the blonde's back as she was enveloped in her embrace.

After a moment, Louise released her. "I should go take my shower, I kinda stink." She chuckled.

"What? No kiss for the heroine? C'mon, gimme a kiss, babe." Nena mockingly puckered her lips, as she sometimes did to fluster Louise.

"Nena!"

* * *

Patrick was on cloud nine at the moment, hosting his beloved Colonel for dinner at his house. Ever since Nena left to join the A-Laws, she had made sure to check up on him from time to time, and knowing that she cared that much both warmed his heart and filled him with joy. Maybe it was time to ask her if she'd enter a relationship with him...

"What are you thinking about, Lieutenant? You fell silent for a moment there." Kati asked him, while sipping on her glass of wine.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just happy to have you here." He replied honestly.

Since Kati was far beyond a blushing teenager, she just took the compliment gracefully, with a smile. "Why, thank you. I must admit I didn't think I'd enjoy our dinners this much."

"Cheers to that!" Patrick raised his glass forward.

"Cheers." She toasted back. "You know, I don't really know much about you beyond our duties. How did you learn to cook this well?"

"Oh, well, when I was a boy I'd usually sneak into the kitchen and hang out with the cook." Patrick replied. non-chalantly.

The implication, of course, didn't escape Kati. "Interesting, I didn't know you came from a wealthy background."

"Eh...well, yeah." He admitted. He didn't quite like talking about his family, but if it was the Colonel, it was ok. The only other person who knew about this was Nena. "My dad's the president of an electronics company." He shrugged. "Joyeuse Electronics."

"-The- Joyeuse Electronics?" Kati asked, in disbelief. That was only one of the top companies in the electronics industry in the AEU.

"Yeah..." Patrick's mood diminished, thinking about his father, which didn't go unnoticed by Kati. She dared guess he didn't quite get along with him.

"And your mother, what does she do?" She decided to divert the conversation a bit.

"Ah, she passed away, I'm afraid." He commented, yet smiled, remembering her. Kati thought for a moment she had screwed it up, but seeing him smile, she reflected it wasn't a complete mistake. "She was very strict, but loving." He reminisced. "Why, there was a time when I started climbing a tall tree, much to one of our maid's concern. She quickly called my mother, which made me go stiff with fear. I was sure she'd scold me roughly. Y'know what she said?" He paused for effect, smiling.

"I have no idea, what did she say?" Kati raised her eyebrow and smiled too, in a conspiratory manner.

"She said." He tried to mimick his mother's way of speaking, on his same tone of voice. "Patrick, if you -must- climb that tree, then at least do try to climb it properly! Keep your eyes on the bark, and how to gain an adequate grip on it! Look to your left, there's a healthy branch if I've ever seen one!" He laughed, and switched back to his usual speech. "She coached me on how to climb the tree!"

"I truly didn't expect that." She admitted. "She sounds like a fair woman."

"Yeah, I never felt like she smothered me with her strictness. If I'm not a complete mess it's thanks to her." He sighed wistfully, a hand supporting his chin, the other around his glass of wine.

Kati wondered if she should pry further, but instead decided to just cut her losses and go for the safe path. "I would have loved to meet her."

"I bet she would've liked you, too, to be honest. You're both quite serious people, hehe." He rubbed the bridge of his nose, grinning. As they smiled at each other, a click was heard from the door. "A key? What c-" Patrick wondered for a moment, but then quickly realized what it was.

"I'm hooooome!" Nena's youthful voice was heard from the entrance hallway as she opened the door. Patrick excused himself and rushed to where Nena was. "PATTERS!" She leapt into his arms.

"NENNERS!" He grabbed her and whirled her once, then set her on the floor. As they greeted each other, Kati remained politely at the hallway's threshold, allowing the siblings to enjoy their reunion. "What are you doing here? You didn't tell me!"

"Well, obviously I wanted it to be a surprise, dummy." She said in a sing-song tune, poking Patrick's nose. Noticing Kati smiling at the scene, she adressed her. "Hey, Kati's here!" She released Patrick and went to the other woman, giving her a quick hug.

"How're you doing, Nena?" Kati asked.

"Tired..." Nena admitted. "But good! Man, that trip to Vietnam sure was a baptism by fire, literally..." She placed her hands on her hips, blowing some air on a stray fleck of hair.

"Literally?" The Colonel curiously asked, again, while Patrick was grabbing Nena's bags from the entrance.

"I took a nuke to the face." She turned her eyes to the side, deciding to just go for the truth.

"What?!" Patrick dropped her bags and cut the distance in a couple steps. "Are you ok?!"

"Yeah, I'm fine! Really!" She reassured her brother, while he was looking all over her, grabbing her arms which were covered by her long sleeves. "I still have a bit of a burn recovering, but otherwise, the GN field saved me." She raised her sleeve to show a bandaged arm.

"Man..." Patrick grabbed the revealed arm carefully, as if he was dealing with fragile china.

"I'm fine, Patters, honest. I'm a heroine now!" She chirped happily.

He enveloped her in a hug as a reply. "You're safe, my little sister's safe." He muttered on her hair, and she just hugged him back, patting his back. After a moment he released her, understanding those were the risks of her decision. "Well, welcome back, then!" He finally said. "Are you staying for a while?"

"They gave me a week for R&amp;R, then I'm going back. Seems like things are getting rough in the middle east, so they need us. Also..." She now approached Kati. "I need to talk to you." She said in a serious manner. "I think now it's more important than ever that I stay around them, and I'm sure you'll agree once I tell you what I saw."

"I see." Kati crossed her arms. "Then tomorrow, we'll discuss it at length. How about you come have dinner with us for now? Are you hungry?"

Her mood changed instantly, a grin appearing on her face. "Oooh, chow time! What's for dinner?" She turned excitedly to Patrick.

Patrick offered her his arm which she happily took with her own. "Our menu tonight starts with an artichoke creamy soup, followed by chicken dijon, and some white wine for your palate, mademoiselle." The three walked to the dining room, laughing on the way, happy to be together again.

* * *

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Kati asked once she entered her superior's office, General Robert Mars. One of the most respected men in the AEU military, and now a high ranked officer in the federation army, this sexagenarian man had seen his better years go by already. Nearing his retirement, he usually just did administrative work, yet everyone still respected his opinion. He pointed at his office's visitor's chair so Kati would sit down.

"Yes, Mannequin. Tell me, how's the base doing?" He started with small talk.

"Well-oiled, as expected of my subordinates. They're good, disciplined people. I couldn't ask for a better staff." She replied, honestly. A hint of pride could be felt from her.

"I'm certain you had something to do with that, Colonel." He smirked. He had known Kati since she had graduated the officer's college. He always thought of her as some sort of niece, and he knew the feeling of respect and admiration was reciprocated. That only made the assignment he was about to give her much harder to convey.

"I think, then, that it's a team effort. They know how to take orders and when those orders are to be better considered." She modestly said.

"That's an important quality to have in a soldier. It makes me feel less stressed about this, it truly does." He replied, opening the conversation for the matter at hand. In some level, he felt like she already suspected. The news about the Gundam appearing at the space mining colony a month ago had spread like gunpowder. "Mannequin, there has been a request made to our Federation army. From A-Laws." He paused so it would sink in and to prepare Kati mentally. "They need people experienced at dealing with Celestial Being."

"They request me, I presume?" Kati guessed.

"Indeed. And I dislike it but, there's little one can do when one's superiors unanimously order you." He turned his eyes away, lamenting the decision. "But if you can tell me that your base won't work without you, I can still arrange for them to turn over the decision, at least for a while. I wouldn't like for you to go to that cesspit of rumors and lies."

Kati smiled at her superior's concern. No matter how old she got, he'd always look after her, it seemed. "I thank you, General Mars. Yet I think I can do quite a lot of good with A-Laws. I gratefully accept the assignment and will endeavor to do my very best in it."

"Are you...sure? Kati, you don't need to-" He started.

"But I do." She cut him short. "Again, I thank you for your concern. Truly, I do." She held her head high. "But being closer to what A-Laws does will allow me to progress on what I think must be done." She smirked.

And finally the General understood. Indeed, Kati had grown magnificently. "Heh." He smirked back. "Ha ha ha ha ha!" He heartilly laughed, which made her smile warmly. "I see! It's to be expected! I was worrying for nothing, it appears so! Then, Colonel Mannequin." He started standing up, then found Kati's hand support his arm to help him get up, to which he put his own on hers, thankful. Once they were both standing, he grabbed the envelope from his desk. "The Federation army hereby orders you to assist the Autonomous Peacekeeping Forces in eliminating the threat from the resurfaced Celestial Being terrorist organization. I expect great deeds." He handed the envelope to Kati and raised his head.

"Sir!" She took the envelope and saluted, to which General Robert saluted back. "I shall make the Federation proud!"

"I have no doubt you will, dear Kati." He closed his eyes in affirmation, placing his hands behind his back.

* * *

"You too, huh?" Patrick said, a sad tone permeating his voice. Seeing Nena leave had been hard but the Colonel too? That was almost too much.

Since they were in her office, she decided it'd be ok. She moved around her desk and placed a hand on his shoulder, taking her chair to be at his eye level. "You know it must be done. This way I can see for my own eyes. You know what Nena has been doing, her true duty there, don't you?"

"Finding out what the A-Laws actually do?" He replied without looking at her, his eyes stuck to the floor.

"Indeed. And we have managed to get quite a bit of information. Hearing about the automaton weapons is a very valuable bit of intel, yet not enough. We need to find out who's pulling the strings and with me going to A-Laws we can work together to reveal that. And I can take care of Nena and Soma, since I made that my only request to join up. I'm taking Team Norns under my direct command."

That did make him feel a bit more relieved and it showed on his face. He finally turned to her. "So you're gonna be with Nenners and Soma?"

"I'll be calling the shots, yes. Of course, we'll need to make it seem like we're good little soldiers but we'll be fine otherwise. I promise."

"I still don't like it." He took his eyes down again.

'Since when did I start to really take Patrick's considerations in mind, his feelings?' She reflected with a smile. "Well, you'll have to be strong for us, then. You do need to look after your people here, too. Can I trust you to help the person that comes to relieve me from my post?"

"That an order, Colonel?" He asked like a pouty teenager.

"It's a request." She replied warmly.

He suddenly got up, ruffling his hair with both hands. "Arrrrgh, fine! I know you're an awesome leader, and knowing that you'll have the girls under your command does make me feel better! I know you guys will be ok..." He slumped his shoulders in defeat.

"Thank you, Patrick. We should at least have some dinner tonight before I leave tomorrow, don't you think?"

"Sounds like a good idea!" He replied, excitedly.

* * *

Employing the opportunity given by their higher-ups for some R&amp;R, Soma found herself in front of Colonel Smirnoff's-no, in front of Sergei's door. After thinking it hard, after seeing what almost happened to Nena, to all of them, she decided. She rang the doorbell.

"Just a moment!" Sergei's voice could be heard from behind the door. Patiently waiting for him to open it, which thankfully wasn't too long, she thought of what she'd say. "Peries?" His eyes went wide with the pleasant surprise. "Where are your keys? Come in, come in!" He opened the door wide to let her inside.

"I..." She started, while going in. "I wanted to make sure you were in your house before entering, I suppose."

"Our house, you mean. You know you don't need to do such a thing, this is your house as well." Sergei said, worried that something had happened to make her regress, at their mission. "Are you alright? What happened?" He took a seat and extended his open hand towards the other sofa, inviting her to sit down.

"Everything's alright, I'm fine. If anything, Nena was the only one that got really injured in our mission." She trailed off, looking to the side.

"What?! Is she ok?" Sergei asked, alarmed.

"She is now. But she received burns and lacerations. I feel like it was my fault." She lamented, while looking downwards.

"Tell me what happened." He said, warmly. If anything, his voice always made her feel safer. She put her thoughts in order.

"We fought a group of elite pilots that were helping the vietnamese army. They had superior mobile suits, yet their arrogance and, perhaps, desperation worked against them. We managed to defeat them, but..." She paused. Looking up at Sergei, she was thankful that he remained as patient as always. He only looked at her, his chin resting on his closed hand, his elbow resting on the armrest. She managed to continue. "One of the defeated foes took one of our own, a new soldier called Louise Halevy, by surprise, sticking a powerful bomb on their suit's head. He gloated at how even when defeated, this bomb would take a considerable area around us in flames. We were doomed. And then she flew high into the skies to spare us."

She paused again to look to the side. "Shortly after and before I could even react, Nena shot upwards too, pursuing her. She moved so fast...she cut open Louise's suit and tossed her cockpit towards the rest of us. And then, the bomb went off. And through it all I couldn't do anything. I just stood there like an imbecile, watching my people die."

A pregnant pause followed. Sighing, Sergei thought that it was better to be stern, but fair, in his judgment. "It's true, you should have done something. As someone that cares about you I'm glad you didn't, but as someone that has been in your place before, and someone that has also stood rooted to their spot, I can understand the feeling. As leaders, we need to protect our people."

Soma hung her head even lower, placing a hand to her temple. "However." Sergei said. "However, we can't dwell in our mistakes, only learn from them, because next time we'll be frozen by the memory of our errors if we allow them to weigh us. What you must do is analyze what happened, and if you can't come up with a solution, then know that it was truly beyond your ability."

He went closer to Soma and knelt before her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You're just starting on your first leadership assignment, Soma. You're not expected to know everything. All you can do is apply yourself and hope it's enough. If you mean to keep your people alive, study the battlefield, and find out what you could encounter in it. That's what you can do."

Soma raised her head at Sergei, and managed to smile weakly. 'As expected of the Colonel', she thought. She decided it was time. "Thank you, Sergei. I also have something else to tell you."

"Hmm, what is it?"

"I have decided to become your daughter, legally. I have decided to accept your offer." She looked at him, with a serious expression that belied the warmth in her heart.

"A-are you certain?" Sergei found himself stammering, for what was the first time in ages. Very little could make the 'Wild bear of Russia' be startled. Turns out, this was one of such things.

"Yes." She confirmed. "Father."

"Soma..." He felt his eyes tear up, then went for a hug. She had truly been his daughter already, in all but name. And now she would be by law. "But what about your last name?"

"I'm fond of the surname 'Peries', but I'll be proud to carry the name 'Smirnoff', now." She said, a smirk of satisfaction on her face.

And Sergei was filled with joy. "Then we'll take this week to finalize the necessary paperwork, Soma." He happily announced.

"Father?" She asked.

"Hmmm?"

"Would you...talk to me as your daughter instead? From now on?" She bashfully requested.

"Of course, my dear daughter. Of course."

* * *

The battle had thankfully ended. Being sent as pretty much hitmen for the A-Laws, while the main force of the army massacred the rest of the forces, didn't sit well with Soma. Now that the leadership figures of the rebellious forces there at Taskent was pretty much done with, it was time to look for the actual boss. She had decided to send Regene and Louise back to begin on their suit's maintenance, they had taken most of the hits this time. Apparently Louise was determined to protect as much as she was being protected, now. Nena's voice woke her up from her reverie as she looked up at the night's sky.

"Oi, no sign of him here." Nena informed her. The passageways and rooms were much too small to explore inside their mobile suits, so searching by foot was their only option. "He's probably deeper inside, c'mon." Nena prodded Soma, checking her handgun and walking in.

Several rooms lined up the poorly-lit hallway. Motioning with her hand, Soma directed Nena at the right row of doors, while she searched the left. Evidence of recent use was in each room. Half-eaten meals, turned up blankets, a tv set still on. Then she saw Nena right outside one of the rooms, motioning for her to come closer.

"Kinda fucked up, if you ask me." Nena said, her handgun resting by her side. Once Soma entered, Nena moved into the hallway proper to stand watch. Inside were about five children, still alive, shaking in fear. They spoke in a language she couldn't understand, at least not the words proper. But the meaning of their pleas wasn't lost on her. She placed her handgun on its holster, then crouched to be at their eye level. "C'mon, it's alright. You'll be fine, I promise." She extended her hands towards them. The kids kept cowering, and she saw one of them had an angry stare even in her fear.

"Figures they wouldn't include this in the intelligence report, huh?" Nena murmured at Soma while still looking left and right. "I guess we'll have to take 'em outside once we're done here. Seriously though, what were they freaking thinking at HQ?" She complained, while starting to jog further inside the hallway, disappearing into the dark.

Soma figured that maybe she could attempt the universal language. Engaging in the time-tested tradition of soldiers inside conflict areas, she grabbed a chocolate bar from her pouch, took a bite from it, then offered it to the children. The smallest of them sniffed curiously, then approached her. Making her warmest smile she gave it to the child. Soon another two of the children approached her, and she offered them other assorted candies that thankfully Nena always insisted on shoving inside the team's pouches. The one that had stared angrily at her remained in her spot, still angry. Soma now realized she was the oldest of them. A baby rested on her arms, peacefully sleeping. It struck a jarring scene to contrast the now dilapidated building.

Daring to take it a bit further, she started to slowly approach the girl. She tossed some angry words at Soma, but didn't move back. "I mean you no harm. I just want to take you out of here, it's not safe." Soma still tried, hoping the tone of her voice would at least convey the message. And then a gunshot was heard from deeper in the hallway. Two of the kids that Soma had given candy to scrambled back to the eldest child, and the first one she had managed to attract ran into Soma's arms, looking for protection. She held him tight, then took her handgun, turning sideways so the child would be behind her from the door. "Shhh." She whispered, attempting to soothe him, as footsteps were heard approaching the room. Her tension rose and a cold sweat slid down her cheek.

Once she saw the first foot enter her field of vision she pointed her handgun at the approaching person and warned. "Freeze!" She yelled.

"Whoa, chill, chill. It's me!" Nena quickly raised her hands and yelled. Soma lowered her gun, and released a sigh she had stuck in her throat. "So much for capturing the leader alive, man. Once I entered his room he leapt at me. I should've brawled him into submission, my bad."

"That's quite alright, Nena. You had no way of knowing how he'd attack, or where. A pity, though." Soma turned to the kid, caressing his hair and extending an arm to the other two, which they cautiously approached.

"What are we doing with the rugrats? There's nowhere to drop them at. And if what we saw in the other building is true, they might have started to train 'em." Nena holstered her own gun as well, then leaned against the door's frame, her arms crossed. "Whoa, calm down, spitfire." She raised her eyebrows and lifted her hands protectively, once she saw the stare of the angry older girl with the baby at the back of the room.

"Do we even have a choice? I'm not leaving them here, that's for sure." She replied as the two approaching children grabbed on her suit's sleeves and looked at Nena apprehensively, candies in their mouths. "Although..." She now turned to look at the girl, who had stopped shaking and now was just screaming angrily at them both and motioning for the other kids to come back to her.

"Leave little miss anger to me." Nena said. Sharpening her gaze she took a few firm strides towards the girl, which made her eyes go wide open, and begin shaking once more. "Look here, you little twerp, you're either coming with us, and live, or stay here, and die. Whatever, but give the baby to one of your friends. Only more carpet bombing awaits. Am I being clear here?"

Perhaps the girl could actually understand it, just not talk it, or perhaps Nena's overwhelming aura overcame her, but she nodded, and slowly started raising up. Nena raised her hand to grab her elbow and help her get up, to which the girl winced, expecting to get hit. Now that she was standing, Nena calculated the girl was around twelve or thirteen years old. Grabbing one of her hands, she approached Soma. "How d'you like them apples, hm?"

"Impressive." Soma admitted, while the boy between her arms stared at Nena in awe and the other two kids fearfully clamped on both of Soma's shoulders. "Well, then. I suppose now we can get out." She said as she rose up, the children scrambling to place her between them and the scary redhead, except for the awed one who came closer to Nena. She just ruffled his hair then placed her hand on his back, leading him out with the group.

"This is something else we're gonna have to report to Kati and Pops, I suppose." Nena reflected, ruefully. It spoke volumes of how much she had managed to progress that such operations left a bitter taste on her mouth. Attacking military zones was one thing, but heavily populated areas was something else entirely.

"If anything, situations like this just steel my resolve. We need to end this somehow. Take them apart from the inside." Soma looked straight ahead, walking with a child on each hand.

"By the way, you look adorable with kids." Nena remarked, amused.

"Shut up, Nena." Soma replied to the teasing, but smirked also amused.

* * *

"So it's true..." Louise watched the news in the room assigned to her and Nena, on the hotel appropriated by A-Laws to serve as temporary barracks while their base at the middle-east was finished, sitting on the sofa. An announcer had confirmed the rumor she heard.

"Seems they're back, as Ribbons said." Regene commented from behind her, sitting at the table nearby.

"But how? How could they still be alive?" She grit her teeth in frustration.

"The only confirmed death was the one known as Lockon Stratos. The pilot of the Dynames. You know, the green Gundam?" He said non-chalantly, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl and examining it. Good fruit.

"That's not the one who did it. It was red." She angrily said, without turning around.

"Oh right." Regene stalled for time. Thinking quickly, he knew telling her the whole truth would spell doom. He had found in the team a possible front to offer against Ribbons. If he was to keep them, he had to redirect Louise's attention. At least until it was necessary. "Those were gone without a trace. Doesn't mean they're dead, though." If anything, he could claim ignorance when Ribbons decided to reveal the truth.

"I'll find them. And I'll kill them. Now that Soma and Nena have trained me I know I can." She crushed the remote in her implanted fist, her anger resurfacing.

Regene would have laughed if he could in that moment. How very, very ironic. "I'm sure you will, you have learned well. However, do try to remember to remain calm. When the time comes, losing yourself to anger could be counterproductive."

She took a deep breath, regaining her composure. "Is there no alternative to this?" She looked at her arm.

"Not that we know of. Those contaminated GN particles are very insidious, I'm afraid."

"Right..."

Regene continued biting into the apple, as he thought the conversation had ended. Then Louise spoke again. "Mister Regene?"

"Yesh?" He turned towards her, rolling his head and munching.

"Will you help me when the time comes?"

"I'm afraid that wasn't part of the deal, my dear Miss Halevy." He smirked.

"Right, I suppose." She sighed. "I suppose that's fair."

He rolled his eyes. "Are you absolutely sure, Halevy? Do you really want to keep at it? I've seen you with the other two, you can still be happy. Perhaps it would be best to just let go?" He tried. Yes, it would be better that way. Maybe when the truth finally surfaced her anger would be very subsided.

"I can't. I just...can't"

"Do you really think this is what your family would want for you to become?"

"You don't understand!" She suddenly stood up, her eyes angry again. "If you had a family, and if they murdered them before your eyes, you'd know! The pain inside of me!"

He thought against his will of Anew, but quickly quashed the impulse. Rolling his eyes, he admonished her. "I'll be frank, Halevy: you're being unnecesarily stupid. You kill them and then, what? Will you be happy, then?" He saw Louise tighten her fists, but still be unable to reply. "But whatever, it's your funeral." He got up, tossed the apple's heart into the nearby trashcan, then browsed inside his jacket's pocket for the small pill case. "These are this month's." He said, tossing them at Louise, who deftly caught them with one hand. She could've punched him in the face right then and there, but decided against it. How the hell would he even begin to understand? "I'll see you tomorrow, then." He opened the door, then disappeared into the hallway.

"You don't know anything..." Louise said, again gritting her teeth. Images of what appeared to be low-quality pictures of the Gundam that attacked the space mining colony "Proud" appeared once more on the television screen.

"Curse you, Gundam."

* * *

Now, I'm not the best of writers so I couldn't quite find the way to set the timeline properly, but that's what author's notes are for, I suppose. Kati's meeting with General Mars and then her talking with Patrick are the last events, chronologically speaking, in this chapter. It happens one month after Lou and Regene have their "heart-to-heart". Hopefully this leaves you less confused.

Once again, thank you for your reads and reviews. I have to apologize beforehand if I don't quite make it for next week's sunday, but if i don't post the new chapter on time, then It'll be a bit later on the week. I say this because, like you, I always fear when a story is at risk of dying. Let me assure you that unless I meet an untimely demise, we're going all the way to the end. I'll see you guys next chapter!


	18. Face-off

This week we have the biggest chapter yet so far. I have some fears about pacing and keeping thre reader's interest in general, but hopefully they're unfounded. Then again, if you guys notice something about it while reading this chapter I'll appreciate you dropping me a line. Let's get this show on the road, then.

* * *

**Chapter 15 - Face-off**

"So, Regene Regetta. Why are you still with the A-Laws?" Ribbons asked Regene through the screen at Regene's room, in the hotel that A-Laws still called their temporary barracks. Resting his head on his closed hand, his golden eyes scrutinized the purple-haired innovade while awaiting the reply.

"Did you not order me to babysit Halevy, Ribbons?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, but I'm sure she can now survive without your help. I'm aware she has been trained by her teammates. Perhaps it's time for you to come back."

Regene thought about this. Considered it. He'd be free from the lunacy that his life had become. But something he couldn't quite comprehend stopped him and somehow made him think of excuses. "I wouldn't be so sure. She's still unstable, I feel like all that it takes is a trigger to get her real dead, real quick. It'd be on your best interest to have an agent nearby should that happen, wouldn't you say?"

Ribbons, of course, knew all of what went through Regene's head. He knew that he was evaluating the possiblity of using the Norns to oppose him. Yet having Regene there allowed him to monitor that variable closely. He supposed a little more time with them would do no harm. Wasn't like he had a shortage of innovades to employ on whatever duties Regene would do otherwise. "You wouldn't happen to be warming up to humans, would you, Regene Regetta?" He smirked.

That incensed Regene. How dare he! Humans were inferior, it'd be like warming up to worms. "Please do not speak such nonsense, Ribbons." He said with an angry stare.

Ribbons smirked at the mild outburst, his eyes showing amusement. "Of course. Well, if you consider that Halevy still requires monitoring, I can accept your offer to provide it. You haven't failed me so far, after all."

"And I don't plan to do so any time soon." Regene bowed at the screen.

'More like on the mid-term. Isn't that so, Regene Regetta?' Ribbons thought. "So be it. We'll reconvene once Memento Mori becomes operational. I will need you to perform some duties regarding that."

"As you command, Ribbons."

The screen went off without Ribbons' reply, and Regene rose from his bow. Placing a scowl on his face, he brusquely turned around and hit the chair out of his way, the furniture whirling and dropping on the floor. Walking out of his room, he figured it'd make him feel better if he tinkered a bit with the team's mobile suits. As he walked down the hallway he saw a male child running out of Nena's room, naked and drenched in water, and shortly after Nena dressed in a tanktop and some military-issue pants grabbing him from behind. The scene was so sudden and out-of-place that he forgot all of the anger Ribbons had made him feel. He approached them both as the kid tried wiggling out of Nena's grasp like a rebellious little animal.

"Whatever is happening here, why do you have a...naked, wet child in your arms?" He asked.

"Oh, um...hey Regs. It's just one of the rugrats we found on the last mission. We haven't had time, or a place to drop them at yet, so we kinda decided we'd take care of 'em a bi-damnit, STOP SQUIRMING!" She yelled at the kid, who simply grinned. "Yeah, you're freaking hilarious."

"Why would you even bother? They're gonna become a liability soon enough if you don't get rid of them." Regene observed.

"Believe me, I didn't want to, either. I'm not that fond of kids." She admitted, placing a towel around the little boy and starting to dry him up. "But Soma insisted. I guess it's her past begging her to be nice to children, I dunno. And well, I find it hard to say no to Soma." She looked at Regene with an apologetic look, then turned to the child as she finished drying him up. "Now get back in there and have one of your sisters dress you up, you little twerp." She very lightly tapped him with her knuckle and pointed at her room." Standing up, she placed her hands on her hips and jerked her head back to attempt to get her hair in place. "Heading over to the base?" She asked.

"For the moment, yes. Now that things are starting to settle down around here I'm getting restless. I'll toy with our mobile suits for a bit." Regene informed her.

"Oh, cool. Man, they should give us better suits soon, we're pretty much becoming elites among the elites." She smirked arrogantly.

"I know!" He empathized with the conceited sentiment. "Actually, I heard about them giving us a new model, the Ahead. Hopefully that also means we're going back to HQ soon."

"Yeah, not much to do here, anymore." A youthful voice called for her from inside the room. "Ugh, damn kids. Well, I'll catch up later, I guess." She waved her hand at Regene then entered the room. "You'd better not broken anything or it'll be hell for you!" Her voice sounded from behind the door.

"Spooky." Regene said to no one in particular, then resumed his way back to the base.

* * *

Ribbons closed off the communications with Regene, no longer amused. The fact that he was like an open book to Ribbons thanks to his precautionary measures made him sometimes boring to talk to. Thankfully, he still had other sources of entertainment with Regene's novelty wearing off. One of such sources was supposed to be arriving soon.

"Master Ribbons." A voice he knew very well called for him. It belonged to his clone Hiling Care. One of the most loyal among his innovades, the child was also quite a boring one, but at least she was a useful tool. "Wang Liu Mei is here to see you." She announced, bowing. Behind Hiling, the raven-haired woman appeared, closely followed by her own servant.

"It is a pleasure to see you again, Ribbons Almark." Wang Liu Mei bowed.

"Of course. Your presence is welcome today, Wang Liu Mei. I presume you have completed your duty?" He inquired, turning around to face her, yet remained sitting.

"Certainly, Ribbons. I have conveyed your information to the Ptolomaios crew. They seem to be quite busy lately. Also, this is where they're located." She said, still bowing while the man by her side extend a memory drive to Hiling.

"Oh? I heard something about little Setsuna collecting a, uh, 'Lyle Dylandy'? A replacement for the untimely demise of Lockon Stratos, I'd wager." He commented as he received the memory drive from Hiling.

"You're well informed, Ribbons. He has also retrieved Sumeragi Lee Noriega. Celestial Being is getting ready to oppose A-Laws."

He chuckled in amusement. Ah, his beloved opposition, how he missed them. "Magnificent. Then we should prepare for the following steps. Now that they know they'll be playing with the 'evil A-Laws' for the first time, we must inform them of a proposed next step. And for that, I'd like to offer you help. It wouldn't do to send you with nothing but an inadequate servant to do so." The slightest twitch passed by Wang Liu Mei's servant's face. Ribbons supposed he should try and learn this man's name, every source of entertainment was interesting enough to at least remember that.

"I see, I gladly accept it. Who will be assisting us then?" She politely smiled, finally looking at Ribbons.

"Why, little Hiling Care here." He opened his palm and motioned at the female innovade by his side.

"M-master?" She reacted. She obviously hadn't seen that coming. It was clear to Ribbons that her desire to remain by his side would make this all the more painful for her. It was quite entertaining, he had to admit.

"I can't think of a more suitable agent to support our ally, Hiling. You don't have any objections, of course." He impassively stared at her.

"N-no, master, of course not. Your will is my command." Healing felt herself boiling inside. Why would Ribbons do this to her? Was she not loyal and good?

"Good. Then, Wang Liu Mei, I'll send you details of your next assignment with her. Will there be anything else?" Ribbons said as a way to close the conversation.

"No, Ribbons. It shall be done. I'll wait at our shuttle for your agent." She bowed again, then retreated, closely followed by the manservant.

Once they were out of sight, Hiling turned to Ribbons, and took to her knee before him. "Master Ribbons, I beg of you, don't make me leave!"

"I have already made my decision, child." He said, savoring her suffering. He then motioned for her to come closer, and he approached her ear to whisper. "I need you to keep a very close eye on that woman. I was not lying when I said there was no one more suitable for that assignment than you." He placed a hand to her cheek, and she closed her eyes, leaning on his palm like a loving puppy. "You will not fail me, now, will you child?"

"Master Ribbons..." She sighed in elation.

He removed his hand suddenly, and she rose up, startled. "You will investigate this location." He grabbed an electronic tablet from his table, which showed a prison surrounded by a plateau near the sea. "Infiltrate and confirm the situation there to notify Celestial Being of Allelujah Haptism's presence. I need them at their full strength to progress on our plans. Am I clear?" He lined the shape of Hiling's nose and poked her lips, while smirking.

Emboldened by Ribbons' sweet caress, she replied vigorously. "Yes, master! It shall be done!"

"Good, my dear child. Now go catch up with Wang Liu Mei. And remember: keep a close eye on her." He turned around to dismiss her and put his attention somewhere else.

"As you command, master!" She said once again and left.

* * *

If anything, being close to heroes among A-Laws had its advantages. Even if Soma got some weird looks by having the rescued prepubescent girl by her side, they said nothing. They'd discard it as eccentricity or kindness, but they wouldn't push it. Besides, the commanding officer in charge of the middle-eastern theatre didn't even care too much about what they decided to claim; be it wealth, people or whatever. So she simply had the girl tag along, mainly to prevent her from getting bold and escaping the hotel. Soma would see these children safe to more civilized lands and place them in adoption. She knew she couldn't save every child in war-torn zones, but she'd save those that she saw, if she could help it.

It had come as a surprise when she found out that the girl spoke some broken english at least. That had made it easier to communicate. And now that they could talk she could explain her plans and ask for her name. Now she knew the girl was called Kamila, and that the kids were her siblings. Five kids, being or about to be groomed to serve as future soldiers. It hit too close to home to ignore.

"We should be going back to the AEU soon, Kamila. I'd appreciate it if you remained patient so that we can take you children to a safer location. This place will need to recover before anyone can live here again." They were sitting on one of the base's mess hall's tables. Drinking a cup of tea they made small talk, as there were no assingments for her team at the time.

"Invaders cruel. But for siblings, I understand." She replied. Thankfully Kamila wasn't stupid, just protective. She loved her siblings dearly and so she understood reason. Now that they had really no one to turn to it was pretty much their best chance.

"I thank you." Soma replied. The girl retained her permanent scowl, but at least she was cooperative. As they remained in silence, Regene approached from the door. There, Soma noticed a shift in Kamila's expression, although she couldn't quite understand what it conveyed. Some sort of mixture bewteen surprise and awe, she wasn't sure. She supposed Regene's presence might have that effect on young children.

"Greetings, Lieutenant. And to your companion too." He said, also noticing the girl's expression. "Resting, I surmise?"

"For a spell, yes. Captain Regene, this is Kamila, one of the children we found in the last raid." She introduced the girl.

"Pleased, I'm sure." He didn't offer his hand, as usual. Yet the girl kept staring at him. Regene enjoyed leaving people awestruck but it was getting rather...unsettling. "Right...in any case, I didn't come here for pleasantries, as much as I'd love to. The base's colonel calls for you, apparently you have guests. More guests. At least these ones are adults."

"Truly? Huh, I suppose I shouldn't keep them waiting." She stood up, then thought about leaving Kamila alone. Nena hadn't arrived yet and she hadn't seen Louise around. Resting, perhaps. "I'm sorry to impose on you Captain but, would you mind looking after Kamila here while I go attend to my guests?" She pleaded.

"I, ah..." He hesitated, taken by surprise.

Grabbing her opportunity, she made her escape. "Marvelous. I appreciate it." She said, then briskly walked out of the mess hall.

"Damnit!" He cursed. And to think he held Lieutenant Peries at the highest esteem among the team. This placed her a couple points down. He took a seat at the same table as the 'Kamila' girl. That stare was starting to get even more uncomfortable. "Liking the place so far?" He attempted.

The girl simply nodded, her eyes dilated and a tinge of red on her cheeks.

He raised an eyebrow. "I suppose you still need more practice in our language."

* * *

"You called for me si-Colonel Mannequin!" Soma exclaimed shocked, once she entered the office and saw Colonel Kati Mannequin talking with the base's commanding officer.

"Lieutenant Peries, good day." Mannequin nodded at her.

"Ma'am!" Soma quickly regained her composure and saluted.

"Ah, seems you two know each other already. Good good." The man acknowledged. "Well, this makes it much easier. Lieutenant Peries, as of now, you and your team will be assigned under direct orders from Colonel Mannequin here. Seems your days as a wandering team are coming to a close. She will be telling you the assignments details." He looked around, considering the office. "I suppose you'll be more comfortable talking here." He scratched the back of his head. "I think I'll go check up on the troops while you two discuss it, hm?"

"I thank you, Colonel." Kati nodded towards him.

"Yep, no worries. If you need anything, do let me know. Our steward should know where I am." He saluted with little energy at both women and excused himself from the room.

Both women felt a cold sweat of embarrasment slide down their brow, then shook hands as if nothing had happened. "Peries, it's been a while." Kati greeted Soma then took a seat in one the little living room's chairs inside the big office.

"It's a pleasure to see you, Colonel." Soma took a seat as well, once her superior was seated. "But, I must say, this is quite a surprise."

"I wanted to contact you beforehand but you were somehow always busy. Seems they worked the team rather hard."

"We only did our duty, nothing to worry about." She nodded.

"Quite so. Well Lieutenant Peries-" She started, but then Soma interrupted her.

"Ah, um, Colonel. It's Smirnoff now. I'm Soma Smirnoff now." She bashfully corrected her.

"Huh. Truly?" She reacted in surprise, but then thought of Sergei and felt happy for the man. He finally had a family again. "Well, I'm glad you decided to accept being taken into Colonel Smirnoff's family."

"Thank you. And I apologize for interrupting you, please continue."

"Right. Well, as you can see by the uniform I now wear, I have joined you here in A-Laws. I'll be taking Team Norns under my command, effective immediately. Surely you have heard about Celestial Being's resurgence by now, and their recent moves."

"I have, and father mentioned something like that. It was...unexpected, to say the least." 'Almost as unexpected as Colonel Mannequin showing up here', she thought.

"That's the reason why A-Laws has called me. And it was easy to request for your team to assist me on our endeavor."

"Which is to nullify Celestial Being's threat, I presume?" Soma placed a hand on her chin, thoughtful.

"Precisely. Needless to say, with all of us working together." Kati stared intently at Soma. "Our goals will be easier to reach."

"I see." Soma remained all the more thoughful, and silent. What would this mean for the team? Would Nena and her be able to keep investigating on the frontlines? She supposed they might be at more freedom to do so under Colonel Mannequin's command. At least they'd stop being huntsmen, in a way.

"You have questions. Do you perhaps disapprove? You'll still be the field leader, I'll merely receive the higher-ups orders and provide support with whatever knowledge I have of tactical forecasting." Kati inquired, in a rare moment of doubt.

"N-no! Of course I approve!" Soma stammered. "I simply reflected on what this change would mean. I suppose you have answered it already, after all." An idea came to her. "Does this mean we'll get a command ship?"

"As a matter of fact, I arrived on a Guyana-class battleship, to provide your team with support and as a mobile base. That means we'll be frequently on the move. I also had them load a set of four 'Ahead' mobile suits, to upgrade from your GN-XIII's."

"I see, I see. A Guyana-class..." She tried to remember, and then she recalled the ship in question. "Oh, those are heavily armed." Her mind worked fast thinking of the possibilities now available to them. "Things are looking up. I think we should go meet up with the rest of the team, Colonel. Tell them the good news."

"Very well. The ship is currently being loaded with supplies as we speak, so we should be able to leave in a couple of days. We should take this time to gather together and discuss the upcoming mission. We have little time."

"Little time? What is our mission?"

"We have received information on Celestial Being's next move. We're heading over to the maximum security detention facility where one of their comrades is held."

"Right." With her mind working fast she recalled the children they had tagging along and tried her luck. "Uh, Colonel, there's only one more little thing..."

* * *

As soon as Nena arrived to the base she was asked to go to the battleship docks. For what reason, she could only imagine. Yet once she arrived she recalled and wondered about whatever had happened to the Trinity mothership. Granted, she had more pressing matters in her head back then, like 'trying to not kill herself or others' and 'enacting her evil plan for revenge'. It eventually went out of her mind entirely, but now she was genuinely curious. Maybe she'd look it up later.

"Over here, Lieutenant Trinity." The steward officer pointed at one of the huge battleships stationed there. Walking to the entrance she noticed Soma, Louise and Regene were there already and...

"Kat-I mean, Colonel Mannequin?" She said in surprise, then saluted with a tinge of confusion on her face.

"Greetings, Lieutenant Trinity." Kati saluted back with the professionalism she was known for.

"Uh, yeah. I'm happy to see you, ma'am, but what are you doing here?"

Regene replied for her. "It appears like our team is increasing in numbers. Now we'll have a direct commander instead of jumping around as mercenaries -and- we'll have a mobile base. This Guyana-class will be our new home." He pointed at the battleship with his thumb.

"Wh-for real?" Nena reacted to the news by being even more shocked.

"It is as Captain Regetta says." Kati took it from there. "I have joined A-Laws as they requested, to put a front against Celestial Being. But let us go in, there's a meeting room inside the ship. I'll answer all your questions there and we'll discuss the mission we're assigned on. Time is not on our side."

As they entered, Nena remained behind for a moment trying to process what was happening. Louise stood next to her and looked at the battleship. "It's pretty big..."

Without even looking at Louise and retaining her hundred-yard stare of shock, Nena reacted. "We better get in to get some answers. I think it has something to do with how they wrecked our forces at space recently, as well." She finally regained her wits and motioned with her head at the blonde to go inside the ship.

* * *

They sat on the ship's meeting room's chairs, staring at the screen on the wall. Images of the maximum security detention facility were displayed on it, along with diagrams of the inside. One of the prison's rooms was marked, where the Celestial Being operative was held captive.

"Now, their objective is quite clear. They'll try to rescue their comrade, then get out as fast as possible." Colonel Mannequin continued the briefing. "HQ has requested for one of us to interrogate the prisoner to find out if he knows about their plans. I believe that duty should fall to the one who captured him." She looked at Soma when she said this, and the silver-haired woman nodded.

"That doesn't make sense." Regene said. "How would he know anything about what they're up to now? Haven't you people been keeping an eye on him? He's tied up like a psychopath in a black room, for Pete's sake."

"Well, perhaps he has information about contingency plans." Soma provided.

"And he'd tell you...why? Because you'll ask nicely?" Regene insisted. "Oh, you're going to torture him, aren't you? Fascinating." He smiled a wicked smile that unnerved Louise.

"What-no! Of course not! We have to try, perhaps he's realized the errors of his ways!"

Regene scoffed at that, and turned his head away. "Yes. That makes perfect sense. But whatever, it means nothing to me in the end. Was just pointing the ridiculousness of that notion."

Kati remained with her arms crossed, studying their interactions. It occured to her that Regetta attempted to save Smirnoff the waste of time in his own particular way, which she was quickly realizing was the 'dry, arrogant way'. She had seen worse, that's for sure. And to be honest she agreed with him when all was said and done, but the waste of time was an economical way to show their loyalty.

"We appreciate your opinion, Regetta. Well then, we're not completely sure when they'll attempt their rescue mission but that only means we'll have to be on the lookout as early as possible. I'm aware of your very specialized piloting styles but the customization of the Aheads will have to wait." At this, Louise raised her hand. "Yes, Halevy?"

"I'd like to request to keep using my GN-XIII while the Ahead isn't customized. I looked at the mobile suit and it's kind of heavy for my abilities to be even decent."

"I suppose that will be ok. Remember, people, they're employing upgraded mobile suits with incredible capabilities. Prepare with an overwhelming superiority, mobile suit-wise, in mind. I will go through the information again and try to come up with some counters to it. Any questions?"

"Can't think of any for now, but I'd like to discuss with you later about our possibilities, ma'am." Regene replied.

"All cool here." Nena briefly said.

"None, ma'am." Soma also replied.

"I suppose we should go look at the mobile suits again?" Louise suggested.

"Very well, then. I'll be here if you need me. You're dismissed."

* * *

"Riya?! You came too!" Nena happily noticed once she entered the ship's launching bay. There, Riya Bhandari stood talking with the rest of the maintenance crew Kati had brought from the base. The redhead internally thanked the wise Colonel for thinking so far ahead while enveloping her engineer friend in a tight hug.

"Nena, sweetie! How are you doing? We didn't have much time to talk a month ago!" She said with a huge smile on her face.

"Working, trying not to get killed. Business as usual. You also seem to have been busy, you made quite a few Haros!" And indeed, the launching bay hosted at least a dozen spherical robots performing various maintenance duties or otherwise bouncing around. One of them in particular bounced over to Nena, her old companion the Purple Haro. "Dude, it's been a while!" She greeted him as he leapt into her arms.

"You're still alive. You're still alive." It quipped.

"As charming as ever, I can see. So what's up with Riya renaming you? What was it again?"

"Angura, don't forget! Angura, don't forget!" It replied forcefully while waving its arms around like metal spaghetti.

"Ok, ok, jeez!" She chuckled, then remembering her approaching teammates, she went on to introduce them. "Oh, hey guys, c'mere. I'd like to introduce Riya Bhandari, a good friend of mine and a brilliant engineer." Riya nodded in acknowledgement at the three approaching people. "Well, you know Sommy from our time at the beach." Soma waved at Riya, which earned her a smile from the brunette. "This is Louise Halevy, our dear 'golden comet'." Louise nearly face-faulted at the sudden nickname, then shook Riya's hand, who was chuckling at Nena. "I'm working on adding her to my harem, but don't tell Andy."

"Nena! Stop that already, I have Saji!" Louise demanded of her half-angry, half-embarrased.

"Notice how she didn't say she's against the idea, just that she's already taken. Don't worry, we'll add Saji too. We can have lots of fun." She raised and lowered her eyebrows lecherously.

"Oh, Nena, you're as funny as ever!" Riya's chuckle turned to an all-out laugh.

"You know it, sister. And finally, Regene Regetta, jerkass extraordinaire. He's at least a pretty good pilot, I guess." She motioned towards Regene with her hand.

What Regene did next surprised the three women of team Norns as he moved to shake Riya's hand. "It's not everyday that I meet someone decent enough. It's a pleasure, Miss Bhandari." He greeted her with an air of professionalism that almost made you forget he was incredibly arrogant.

"Ah, yes, yes. The pleasure's all mine." Riya shook his hand back.

"Wow, that's a first." Nena spoke out loud what was going through her teammates' minds. Then an unsettling thought occured to her. "You better not be having any unpleasant thoughts about my Riya, purple!" She warned him.

"I'm not as basic as you, Trinity. I can simply recognize an intelligent being by sight. You say you managed to reverse-engineer the Haros?" He addressed Riya while placing his hands behind his back.

"Yes! The process was some of the most fun I've had in my life. Now we have around twenty cuties, of which I took twelve with me and the rest I left back at the base."

Regene didn't miss the chance to mock Nena, as it was their custom. "See? This is what a genius looks like."

"Blow it outta your ass, Regs." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Ugh, how crass..." He retorted. "May I examine one of the Haros? I promise I won't take it apart."

"Of course!" Riya happily accepted. She looked around for an unoccupied Haro. "Let's see...oh! Seba, honey, come here please!" She called out to a red Haro that was rolling around.

"Yes, mother. Yes, mother." The red haro called 'Seba' bounced towards its creator, then placed itself on her arms.

"Can you keep Mister Regetta here company, please?" She requested of the spherical robot, while nodding towards Regene.

"Okie dokie! Okie dokie!" The robot accepted, then leapt at Regene's head, softly landing on it.

"Very intriguing." He looked at the Haro on his head, then started walking to one of the launch bay's work desks. "I'll bring it back in a moment. Thank you, Miss Bhandari."

"Alrighty!" Riya replied, then turned to Nena. "Nena, sweetie, I brought you something else from the base." She raised her head and drew the three remaining Norns' attention to a huge rifle that rested at the side of one of the Ahead mobile suits.

"You..." Nena murmured while giving Angura to Louise, who had been staring at it doe-eyed. "You brought me Johann's rifle."

Riya moved to Nena's side arms-crossed, still looking at the rifle. "We worked hard with chief Luigi to repair it and boost it up. It has gained about fifty-percent more piercing power. Everyone at the base hopes it can protect you well. Oh! We installed a harness on your Ahead so you can carry it on your back! It's all tested and raring to go!" She finally turned to Nena to see a couple of tears sliding down her face. "Nena?"

"This means a lot to me. Thank you, Riya." She looked back at her, and both friends smiled. Soma also smiled for her part from seeing them happy, while Louise remained on the background playing with Angura.

* * *

The sun shone brightly over the rocky plateau that looked over the maximum security prison. The nearby ocean placidly rocked back and forth and a salty wind blew into the tiny bay. On top of the plateau, the Guyana-class battleship overlooked the location, awaiting for the imminent assault by Celestial Being. Its commander, Colonel Kati Mannequin, sat on the captain's chair in the main bridge, calmly awaiting for what was to come.

"Jeez, they're late." Norn 2's voice was heard over the bridge's communications system.

"Be patient, Norn 2. It should be anytime now." Kati mildly scolded Norn 2, placing her chin to rest on her hand. She was right, though, they had been on standby for a while now.

"Perhaps they decided to just perform the operation some other day?" Norn 3 suggested, a tinge of boredom on his voice.

"Unlikely." Colonel Kati discarded the possibility.

"Well, if anything, I get to try out my new rifle. They won't know what hit 'em!"

"If you -can- hit them." Norn 3 teased his teammate.

"Maybe I'll try it out on you, instead." She retorted.

"Well, you're welcome to try. But perhaps after our mission."

"Heh, fair enough." Norn 2 rubbed the bridge of her nose then kept looking at the relaxing ocean waves.

* * *

On the dark cell Soma stood, in front of the prisoner. Escorted by a dettachment of A-Laws soldiers she interrogated him, trying to find out about Celestial Being's intentions. The fruitless endeavor had made her think of Regene's words and began to convince her of the truth of them. Yet regardless of that she tried once more.

"If you cooperate we might be able to lessen your sentence. While terrorism is a serious crime, we might turn it from death to a life-sentence. Cooperate, and we'll see about it. Now speak." She asked once more.

"I don't know. I'm not sure, we were supposed to be done. I have no idea what they want." The prisoner replied. "Please, Marie..."

"Who's this Marie you speak of? You keep mentioning her."

"I'm talking about you, Marie!" He pleaded, his voice coarse. "Why, why won't you remember? It's me, Allelujah!"

"Alle...lujah?" She remained silent for a moment, then shook her head. "My name is Soma, not Marie. Stop spouting non-sense and tell us what we need."

"No! You're Marie, Marie Parfacy! Please!" He kept pleading, his voice breaking and on the verge of desperate tears.

"That..." A sudden, piercing pain assaulted her head. She was Soma Smirnoff, not Marie Parfacy. But then, why did the name strike a chord? Had she known the girl? Was she from the 'Home' research facility? "That's not me. You must be mistaken. That's not my name." She whispered, holding her head.

"Lieutenant? Should we stop the interrogation? Perhaps Smith and Gleiss will have better luck..." One of the soldiers called for her, concerned.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you." She knew what he suggested. Regene was more accurate than he had any right to be. She'd wrest the truth from this prisoner without resorting to such means. "But we'll try some other day. We're done here for now."

"Marie, no! Don't leave me!" The silver-haired woman and her escort walked out of the cell. "Marie! MARIEEEEE!" The prisoner's cries echoed from behind, while her head kept pounding. She shook her head and took a cup of water from one of the guards gratefully.

She decided she ought to get some tea to relax, so she headed to the prison's wardens block to obtain it. The mission would start soon and she'd need to be on her best for it.

* * *

After about one more hour, and some more banter between Norn 2 and 3, they were all getting restless. Kati started considering Norn 3's suggestion more seriously. 'Perhaps they truly decided against it, there's quite a bit of us here already.' she thought. Then one of the bridge personnel called for her attention.

"Ma'am, we're receiving a report from our forces in orbit. Apparently a transport-sized vessel has suddenly entered the atmosphere at breakneck speed."

"Let me see that..." She asked. The shape of the vessel looked strangely familiar. "That's impossible, where would they even land? Yet it's clear they're starting their mission somehow. Everyone, get ready for the encounter! Relay this information to the ground force's commander! Prepare the beam and missile batteries! And let Lieutenant Smirnoff know that the battle is about to begin!" Several shouts of acknowledgement sounded inside the bridge.

"Finally! Time to give it a spin!" Norn 2 said with excitement.

"You know the battleplan, Norns. Get on position for the skirmish ahead, now!" Mannequin ordered them.

"Ma'am, the vessel is on visual! They're...they're still increasing their speed! They're on a collision course with the sea!" One of the bridge operators informed Kati.

"W-Are they mad?! What are they even th-" Then it dawned on her, they planned to fill the air with water particles. "Tell the ground forces to prepare for a tidal wave! Norns, get away from the ground!"

* * *

Soma ran as fast as her feet allowed her to return to the Celestial Being agent's cell. Figures her timing would make her be away from it right as they attacked. Surrounded by her escort she ran, and then at the turn of one of the hallways, a hail of bullets fell on them, killing a couple of her people. "These people, Kataron?!" She recalled that the facility also held dissidents belonging to that organization. Could they be working with Celestial Being? "Damnit! Smith, you're in charge here! I need to go check on the prisoner!"

"Yes, ma'am! Leave it to us, hurry!"

"Curse my luck, if the prisoner has escaped, I..." She murmured as she ran back to the prisoner's cell.

* * *

"I still can't find the sniper guy!" Nena informed her team over the comms. "Norn 4, can you see them from above?"

"I'll need to get lower for that, the plateau's crevices are probably hiding them!" Louise replied, then decided that was exactly what she needed to do. Going down she moved her eyes to each crevice in turn, paying attention to the beam's trajectory as their reinforcements fell one by one. Damn Gundams, they were here. And they were going to pay.

"Alright, just be careful, let me know when you find them!"

"This guy over here has the most powerful GN Field I've seen in my life!" Regene informed them as well. "I can see a blue Gundam behind him, I surmise that's the one that belongs to whoever infiltrated the prison." He let loose a barrage from the Ahead's rifle, to no avail. "This is useless!" He tossed it at the enemy's GN Field and noticed how one of the bazooka's blasted it away before it even hit the barrier. "Hmmm, I got an idea."

Skillfully dodging the blasts he picked up one of the shields from a fallen ground force's unit, then swiveled from side to side while grounded. Right as he was closing in for melee range he tossed the shield at the enemy. "Hahaha, dear Tieria, your reflexes are good, but your battle instincts are terrible!" He celebrated once he noticed the enemy cannons move to the shield and disintegrate it. Next thing the enemy knew, Regene was right in front of him and the GN Field received a series of punches and kicks that made him stagger even while protected by the barrier.

Over the comms, Regene heard Tieria's voice. "How do you know my name?! You won't be able to pierce my barrier, it's useless! Retreat and you'll be spared!"

"You still have mass, imbecile!" He continued the melee barrage while dodging the point-blank blasts with inhuman reflexes, then noticed the Ahead's fists and legs were being blunted out. With his last punch he saw the arm become useless, dangling limp from the repeated impacts. "This suit is so. Damn. Useless!" He shot upwards, dodging the quickly recovering Tieria's blasting shot. "I suppose you win this one, my dear twin. But we'll meet again." He retreated, satisfied by at least making his twin stop the assault on the rest of his allies. That ought to look better for the imminent failure that he suspected this mission was becoming.

Tieria reflected on what the enemy had said. "Twin? What was he talking about? And he knows me?" He thought as his foe flew away.

* * *

While Regene and Nena were trying to defend their comrades as much as possible, Louise finally managed to catch a glint of metal shining from the sun's light. There it was, the sniper Gundam. She recalled Regene's words about a green Gundam and wondered if they perhaps had repaired it and sent another person to fight in it. No difference for her, though. It was time for some justice.

"I'll take you down, Gundam!" She yelled, her heart's rate accelerating without her noticing. With swift slashes from her blade and her two legs, she made the enemy jump back thrice, barely avoiding the strikes.

"Whoa, what the hell?! I was very careful not to make my position be revealed!" She heard over the comms, apparently the enemy tried to contact her. To distract her, she was sure. But she would have none of that.

"Be quiet and die!" She flew up, then drew a sharp contrail to catch them unawares. Her gambit paid off as he had to sacrificed his sniper rifle to protect himself from the powerful slices.

"Great, I get the psychopath." Lyle Dylandy complained, then took his suit's twin GN Pistols to face this swift enemy. His Kataron comrades needed more time to get their friends out of prison, after all. He tossed a couple of shots then flew away to draw in the enemy's attention.

"Norn 4, you got him? I'll be right there in a moment, keep dizzying him!"

"Die, Gundam, die!" Was all the reply she heard from Louise.

"...Lou?" Nena tried, shocked by her friend's strange behavior. "Norn 4, calm down! We only need to make them retreat. Don't risk yourself more than necessary!"

"Holycrap, listen to your buddy, Lou!" Lyle tried, employing his suit's shield and pistols to take the brunt of the assault. Thankfully the pistols were also made from very resistant materials so all they got was scratches, yet he started to feel overwhelmed, how could she be so fast?.

"Don't you DARE say my name!" Louise demanded. "Don't! You need to die! Die! DIE!" She screamed as if possessed, her GN-XIII picking up in speed.

"I can't shoot like this, I'll blast her away..." Nena murmured under her breath. "Calm down, Norn 4!"

"I'm sorry, buddy, but I need to get you out of comission, it's either you or me." Lyle readied himself, analyzing the enemy's flight patterns. "Haro, keep our defenses up." He closed his eyes. "And...there!" He raised his guns and managed to blast one of the fragile suit's legs and the suit's 'off-hand' away.

"Argh!" Louise shook from the impact, yet resumed her assault soon after. "I'll kill you! Begone! Begonebegonebegonebegone! DIEEEE!"

"LOUISE!" Nena tried once again. She needed to do something or...

"You're gonna get yourself killed, idiot! You're defeated!" Lyle demanded of her. "Damnit, don't you dare blame me for this!" He manually directed a couple of his shield bits and used them to smash his enemy's suit's head with an impact, catching her in the middle of her rush. Due to her speed, Louise's GN-XIII flew upwards in a curve from the hit with the blow making her belch, her empty stomach giving out only acid.

Nena shot ahead to catch her friend, passing the green Gundam swiftly. Lyle decided to just let her go, it appeared like their mission was complete anyways. He searched for his Kataron comrades with his eyes to make sure they had gotten away.

* * *

Inside the bridge, Kati saw the chaos that ensued. Thanks to the skilled actions of the Norns they managed to avoid heavy personnel losses, yet the enemy's objective was achieved. The shuttlecock's pilot had escaped and it appeared like they were even working with Kataron. She struck the armrest then got up from her chair, the bridge's crew looking at each other and sharing on the failure.

'And the enemy suit's capabilities far exceed what was reported. They didn't even use the blue Gundam.' She recalled what was written in the reports from the assault on Celestial Being's vessel. And now they were up to four. She took comfort in the fact that none of the Norns had fallen, and that they had gotten firsthand experience on their enemy.

* * *

Nena pursued Louise as fast as her legs could. To say that she was worried would've been an understatement after what had happened at the last battle. She saw her take a left and enter the pilot's locker rooms. Regene's words when they got off the mobile suits were ringing in her mind. 'Make sure she takes the pills.'

Once she entered herself she saw Louise shaking, trying to grab some kind of pills just to have them drop to the floor from her hand. She took a couple of long steps and tried grabbing Louise's hand. Louise for her part turned her wide-open, bloodshot eyes towards Nena and tried to swat her hand away.

But Nena wouldn't have any of that. She took the strike to her face and grabbed a couple pills, then directed her hand towards Louise's mouth. "Shhh, here, I'm here Lou." She tried to calm her down and show that she was there to offer support. Louise greedily swallowed the pills and kept shaking as Nena enveloped her in a tight hug.

Both women remained like that for a while, Nena's arms around her friend, one hand soothing Louise by passing it through her hair, whispering 'It's alright.' once in a while. Soon Louise started calming down, unsure if it was the pills or Nena's embrace, and her mind started processing what had happened. So helpess she felt that all she could do was start sobbing in her friend's embrace.

* * *

Outside of the locker room to try and keep people away from it, Regene stood at the door, arms crossed. He'd let Nena handle this one and they'd need a little bit of privacy for that.

"Another one of those could cost us our lifes next time." Regene reflected out loud. He let out a sigh and changed the leg he was supporting his weight on. He decided it'd be more beneficial to reveal part of the knowledge he had about Louise's condition. 'We'll need to talk, the four of us. This can't go on as it is. I don't plan on dying anytime soon.'

He noticed Riya running into the hallway, her eyes full of concern. "What happened? I heard Louise almost lost it in battle, is she ok? Is Nena ok?!"

"They're both fine. Everyone's fine." Regene remained with his arms crossed. "They just need some time." He raised his head and reflected on the stupidity of letting himself be concerned about his teammates. "Can I leave you to wait out here for them?"

"Sure. But what are you-" Riya started.

"I'll need to talk to them, the three of them." Regene interrupted her, referring to the rest of the Norns. "Please let Lieutenant Smirnoff and these two know once you see them. I'll be waiting in my room." He started walking towards the end of the hallway, then stopped. "Also, we need to start working on the Aheads, we're gonna die next time those bastards attack if we don't get them up to speed."

"I'll think of something. Actually, I do believe we're heading over to HQ soon. We'll have much greater options there." Riya said, her usual placid demeanor changing to one that meant business. Regene nodded at her, then disappeared around the corner.

* * *

There you have it, the first battle between the Norns and Celestial Being goes 1-0 on favor of the pretty boys. What will our heroines and our purple jerk do to even the odds? I suppose you'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out! As always, I appreciate your reads and reviews as they always bring a smile to my face, from knowing you're reading my little fic.


	19. A reason to fight

And hello, everyone! Were you on the edge of your seat, waiting for the moment when Regene talked with the girls? Were you all 'meh' perhaps? Well, hopefully it's the former, because chapter 16 is here! I'd like to thank nothernlion196 for their continued comments, as always, and the suggestion from Fireminer. As a matter of fact I've been worried about that as well, but instead of "rushed", I was afraid it would feel "dragged". If I'm being honest, the worst thing that can happen is when your readers skip on your words because they already wanna see what happens. Yet rushing also worries me now, I guess that's one of the things that'll only get better as I keep writing, perhaps it won't even get corrected before I finish this story. But anyways, I really really thank you for your observation and I'll try to make it better!

And without further ado, please enjoy this chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 16 - A reason to fight**

On the display at Kati's room turned-into office inside the battleship, the face of a rotund blonde man with curly hair could be seen, a scowl as his expression. As the overseer from A-Laws and liaison between HQ and the forces dispatched with anti-terrorist operations, General Goodman was not pleased.

"Colonel Mannequin, what do you have to say for yourself? This defeat has costed us greatly. Not only did you lose the Celesital Being prisoner but you also let Kataron release their people." The man on the display demanded.

"I have no excuses, sir. My lack of acumen regarding the situation lead to the losses incurred." Kati replied, directing all of his wrath towards herself.

"Hmph. Well, at least the Norns managed to keep our personnel losses to a minimum. What about their new suits? I read in your report that they received rather significant damage."

"I'm afraid the machines didn't quite perform to the team's liking. We require time to fine-tune them to our pilot's needs. Otherwise, we can expect future engagements with Celestial Being to end in their favor as well."

General Goodman seemed to be considering what Kati mentioned. After a pause, he finally sentenced. "Very well. I recognize that if the Norns couldn't handle Celestial Being, then there's very few of our aces that can. The only one that comes to mind would probably be able to take down one of them, but he'd be overwhelmed in the end." Kati wondered who he was refering to, but decided to put that thought for later. "Colonel Mannequin, return to HQ for the necessary adjustments to be made. I'll assign one of our recently arrived engineers to aid your people in such a task. He was trained by the renowned professor Katagiri from the Union, so I'm sure he'll prove to be a great boon."

"I thank you, sir." Kati nodded. A thought occured to her regarding Celestial Being. "May I ask a question, sir?"

"You may."

"Celestial Being seemed to remain in the ocean after the skirmish, and our satellites haven't detected any resurfacing maneuvers from them so far. Will we be letting them go?"

"I've already sent one of my trusted subordinates to deal with their pursuit. Major Lindt is sure to hunt them down with no issue." He smirked.

"Certainly sir."

"Well, if that's all, I have other matters to attend. When you arrive to HQ come directly to my office, we need to discuss your team's future assignments." He closed the communications.

"Aber Lindt, huh? That man is skilled in manhunting missions, indeed." Kati thought out loud. "But what will it be of his people once he finds them?" Hopefully the information she had provided on the report would keep losses to a minimum but those Celestial Being pilots...

And then there was the tactics they used. Taking a seat on her desk she crossed her arms while she thought. Four mobile suits perfectly synchronized, working as a true team. Very few groups of pilots could manage such a thing, the Norns were the next best thing they had around. Furthermore, there was the way they began their assault. Such a daring, yet well performed operation.

The one person she knew that would attempt such tactics came to her mind, and she quickly dismissed it. The implications were too much to bear.

* * *

When they entered Regene's room he was reading something on his terminal, sitting in front of the desk on a swivel chair. He turned around once he noticed the new presences with him. "Do make yourselves comfortable." He motioned at the one other chair inside the room. "I apologize for the barely adequate furnishing, but then again we're inside a battleship."

Nena entered while holding Louise's arm with hers, and remained behind the chair while helping her sit.

Soma decided to put her back on the wall to the left of the sliding door. Crossing her arms, she locked her gaze on Regene. After reading the mission report she couldn't deny it was quite a worrying situation. If this man had some answers then this was the time to get them.

Meanwhile, Louise was dreading the moment Regene would reveal their dealings. They'd know she was just in A-Laws because of her family's money. "Please, Mister Regene. I can handle it, I swear." She pleaded.

"No. You clearly can't, and next time we're all gonna be dead." He cursed Ribbons internally, then addressed everyone. "As you know, Halevy's hand is artificial, as it was impossible to regenerate due to some freak circumstances. My people helped her with it, employing a cybernetic implant. However..." He stopped for both emphasis and to look directly at Louise. "The rejection rate is rather problematic. As such, she has to take the medicine you saw. The hand functions perfectly, but there's some secondary effects. That's the price she has to pay."

He rose from his seat and walked towards Louise. Facing her directly he bent forward, placing his face as close as possible, almost touching her nose. Nena felt disturbed by it but said nothing, grasping Louise's shoulder tight as if to protect her. "It's up to you. Do you want to lose your arm and the means by which you can realize your goal? That'd solve the little issue. Otherwise, you stay but risk triggering those panic attacks and worsening in the middle of battle. What I'm saying is that you either toughen up or leave. As troublesome as the reactions from the implant's rejection are, they shouldn't be -this- bad. Hyperventilating and panicking are what worsen it, not the implant itself."

"Hey, knock it off, asshole." Nena reacted defensively. While it was true their lifes could be at risk if something like that happened again, she still disliked the way he was putting on the pressure on poor Louise.

"Thank you, Nena." She squeezed Nena's hand on her shoulder. "But it's ok. He's right, I..." She took a deep breath and lamented her weakened emotional state. "I've been feeling sorry for myself for a while now, for circumstances of my own. I've been locked into a state of mind that's been nocive for my emotions. If I mean to continue here, then he's right. I need to toughen up or I'll end up killing the team from my mistakes."

"It might be a good idea to take a break, Halevy." Soma suggested.

"I feel like that'd only stress her further." Regene commented. "Think about it: while everyone is fighting, she'd be biting her nails, feeling sorry for herself for being such a failure, etcetera." He waved his hand around while looking up, exasperated. "She either needs to find a way to keep her wits about her while fighting or it'll be better that she leaves." He crossed his arms and turned to the side. "And I'm reluctant to admit it but somehow, she's actually pretty good. If you didn't notice she managed to keep one of the Celestial Dorks on check. With a GN-XIII. Think about that for a second."

"That's true." Nena contributed. "She's quite an asset to the team when she's on her best. Time and again she has proven herself." She moved around the chair, then bent forward a little to be at Louise's eye level. "But why must you be so insistent on fighting? Is battle what you want, hun? You don't really need to do this if it's gonna take a toll on your mind."

Louise smiled warmly at her friend. She was truly blessed to have such a person in her life. "I'm happy to know you care about me so much." Then her face took on a somber, sad expression. "But there's a matter I need to settle. The armed interventions that Celestial Being conducted costed me the people I loved."

Regene could feel the cold-sweat slide down the back of his neck as Louise confessed. Saying anything would make the situation even shakier. Yet he kept his deadpan and waited for what could happen.

"Revenge, huh?" Nena lowered her gaze. She supposed they were more alike than she thought. "I guess I can't say a lot about that, then. I'm also looking for someone who took my siblings' lifes."

"Nena..." Soma murmured, concerned.

The purple haired innovade just couldn't take it, the ridiculousness of it all. How oblivious these two were. "You two are a pair of imbeciles if I've ever seen any. Revenge must be one of the most idiotic motivations around. I think I told you already, Halevy, what do you hope to accomplish?"

Louise looked at him with a sad smile while Nena scowled at him. "You wouldn't understand, Mister Regene."

"Bah, suit yourselves. Just don't get us killed on your avenging spree." Regene tossed his arms up in defeat. "Well then, what are you going to do about your little issue?"

The four of them turned towards the door when a slight knock was heard from it. "Enter." Regene invited whoever was behind the door. An apologetic looking Riya appeared from behind it, with her hands in front of her face as if in supplication.

"I'm really, really sorry! I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I swear! I was just so worried!" She kept her eyes down, protecting herself with her hands. "I'm so sorry, Louise, will you forgive me?"

"I...why would you do that?" Louise asked, saddened further at knowing that now more people knew. She felt betrayed.

"It's alright, Lou. If you can trust anyone with your situation, that's Riya. This isn't something she tends to do, I'm actually surprised myself." She looked at her engineer friend. "You were that concerned, huh?"

"I'm sorry!" Riya repeated herself. Louise's gaze softened a little, at least it was out of concern. If anything, it helped that Riya had that motherly aura around her that made you want to rest in her arms and forget about what worried you.

For his part, Regene sighed loudly. "Well, what's done is done, I suppose. You didn't just ask to come in to let us know that you heard what we talked about, though. Did you?"

Riya finally stood straight and placed her hands behind her back. "Well, that was half of it." She stuck her tongue out as if saying 'I screwed up'. "The other half is that an idea came to me regarding Louise's little problem."

Louise perked up at that, if she could provide a solution, then it was all forgiven. "Really? What do you have in mind?"

Riya raised her right index finger and closed her eyes to begin her explanation. "Well, there's two things! The first one is: have you ever heard about meditation? I can teach you some techniques handed down generation by generation amongst my people!"

Regene's eyes widened up in disbelief. "Are you serious, Miss Bhandari? And here I thought you were a brilliant woman. Meditation?"

Riya's happy expression turned into an angry one, dropping her arms and closing her fists, while puffing up her cheeks like a blowfish. "How rude! You're the ignorant one, Mister Regetta! I assure you, breathing techniques have a beneficial effect on our state of mind. There's been research made on it! Maybe -you- should take my lessons on meditation as well!"

The silver-haired leader of the Norns spoke up to conciliate. "Now now, let's calm down here." She said with her palms raised protectively. "It's worth a shot, and also I've heard my father mention something of the sort as well before. Some soldiers do actually engage in breathing excercises prior to battle. Most report it greatly helps."

If Soma vouched for it, then she supposed there was some truth to it, Louise reflected. "I agree with Soma, I don't think it'll hurt. But you said there were two things you wanted to suggest?"

Riya's comical scowl at Regene turned into her patented beatific, placid smile once she turned to Louise. "Ah! The second one will help improve your mood while in battle. I noticed how you looked at the Haros!" Riya wagged her index finger at Louise, who blushed at the mention of the adorable, sphere-shaped robots. "So I'm making a gift to you, with a double objective! I have plans of extensively modifying the Ahead that'll be assigned to you. Its speed will go up quite a lot, so your new Haro friend will assist you with some piloting duties in battle, allowing you to focus on assaulting the enemy. AND!" She excitedly continued. "You'll have an adorable companion to remind you of what matters, which is coming back alive!"

Louise finally stood up from the chair, her mood greatly improved. A huge smile was on her face. "You're giving me a Haro, truly?!" She asked in confirmation while suddenly grabbing Riya's hands.

On the background, Nena got closer to Regene while looking at her two friends happily talk about the robotic gift. "Well, that dispelled the somber atmosphere quite quickly, huh?"

Her male teammate closed his eyes while keeping his arms crossed. "The second proposal might work, but I'm still doubtful about the first one. It sounds ludicrous, bordering on useless."

She slapped him softly on the back of his head, which earned her an angry 'HEY!' "You should really go with them both to see what it's all about, you dummy."

* * *

From Kati's arrival to the departure back to the AEU it was rather uneventful, if one talked about encounters. In a way, it was more of a momentary respite than anything else.

When Soma wasn't calling her father, she tended to study battle tactics under Kati's tutelage or socialize with the rest of her teammates. She'd also play with the children they still had as guests in the ship, much to Nena's chagrin and Riya's delight, the latter sometimes joining in on the fun to relax her mind. Such moments were rather precious for Riya, since otherwise one would find her brainstorming with Nena and Regene about what to do to improve the team's mobile suits.

Kati wrote her reports to both give them to her superiors and use them herself later. She'd read them over and over again, specially the one concerning Celestial Being's tactics, both past and present. The more she studied them, the more she came to the dreaded realization that only someone like Leesa would be able to pull them off. In a way it also brought some manner of relief, seeing how she was quite familiar with her former colleague's way of warring.

As for Louise, she'd take her daily sessions with Riya to learn how to meditate and relax her breathing and state of mind, sometimes joined by Regene. At first he'd smirk, yet on the third day he started to take it more seriously. What he found about the process yet wouldn't quite share was that it enabled him to release unused processes inside his head and optimize his memory. Being a Veda bio-terminal made it so the human technique become a sort of defragmentation process to him. All in all, he finally stopped thinking it was a waste of time.

The one other thing Louise tended to do while they arrived was to practice almost every other hour in the simulator. Being determined to become even better, faster. Her fighting style turned more vicious, yet controlled, mostly thanks to her more stable state of mind. Having the help of the pink-colored 'Litchi', the Haro Riya had assigned to her, also changed her focus in battle. Complimented by the round robot, her response time saw quite a significant increase.

In general, the whole preparation and trip proper took four days, and the small peace they all felt became quite a boon after what was to come to them, and as they arrived to headquarters work began in earnest once more.

* * *

"Colonel Mannequin, it's good to have you back." General Goodman greeted her in his office. I take it you've managed to get the hang of the way we do things here in A-Laws so far?"

"Certainly, sir. I understand failure is not an option. It's been quite an educational experience." Kati replied while keeping her eyes ahead in full attention. On Goodman's desk and with his full attention, his terminal displayed her reports, and coupled with what had happened to Aber Lindt he could get a general idea of what they were facing. If he was worried he didn't show it, but one could see it in his dry skin. Celestial Being had managed to become a force to be reckoned with once more.

"Well! I hear your maintenance crew has begun their work on the team's mobile suits. Hopefully the new engineer has also managed to incorporate himself with their work rythm?" He inquired while placing his hands on his desk, clasped.

Kati looked at him directly once the General engaged once again in conversation. "As a matter of fact our chief of engineering has worked with him before, as has one of our team's pilots. I'm sure they'll be done with the maintenance soon enough. The support you have given us regarding supplies and materials has helped us greatly."

"Good, good." He nodded. "Then there should be no problem regarding your next assignment." Hitting a button on his terminal he turned on the wall's screen. On it, a map of a middle-eastern desert was displayed. "I'm afraid you'll have to go back, after arriving here. Thankfully it wasn't such a waste of time from what I hear. You see, we have received information about the location of Katharon's middle-eastern base. Furthermore, it appears like Celestial Being was working with them after all, and as such they're also there allegedly. Since this will be a large scale operation you'll be working with Aber Lindt to give them battle." A knock was heard on the door at that moment. "Yes? Do come in."

As if summoned, Aber Lindt appeared from behind the sliding door. His thin, gaunt expression confirmed the reports Kati had read regarding the failed assault on Celestial Being at sea. It was only thanks to the valiant efforts of Andrei Smirnoff and a 'Mr. Bushido' that they managed to come out of it alive. The losses had been great and the proud 'Trilobite' marine mobile suit had experienced a horrid maiden battle. That he was given a second chance meant that he was both worried to death and thristy for victory. A dangerous combination that Goodman hoped would be tempered by Kati's peerless steel.

"My good Major Lindt, what timing!" Goodman greeted. Managing to make Lindt even more nervous by his jolly greeting was an achievment by itself, which Kati supposed was owed to whatever debriefing they had conducted between the two. Silently saluting, he stood to Colonel Mannequin's right, nodding in greeting with his sleep-deprived eyes and his mouth set on a thin line. "I was just talking with Mannequin here about your next mission. I hope your preparations are ready?"

"They are indeed, sir." Lindt confirmed. "We will be ready to depart anytime." His hands gripped each other in a cross behind his back, tensing and releasing at his breath's pace.

"Very well. Take today to discuss the mission with Mannequin here and do try to depart tomorrow." He made a mockery of a genial smile at Aber Lindt, one aimed to promise pain should he fail. "I expect great news once you're back!"

"As you command, sir." He saluted once more, understanding he was now dismissed, and then he turned to Kati. She faced him as well once she saw Goodman turn to the side to direct his attention to other business, as if his two subordinates had suddenly disappeared.

"Colonel, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. If you could follow me to the briefing room, please? I have notified your team of our meeting already so they're all waiting there with my people." He told her with a tired voice and a lost expression, as if his spirit was all but depleted.

"The pleasure is mine, Major." Kati greeted in kind, deciding to cut the man some slack. "After you, then." She motioned with her hand towards the door and waited for Lindt to begin moving. She saluted one last time at Goodman, who simply nodded as an acknowledgement, and then left with Lindt.

* * *

Inside the meeting room, as they waited for Major Lindt and Colonel Mannequin, the four members of Team Norns made small talk, as Andrei Smirnoff took the occassional glance at Soma and the man only known as 'Mr. Bushido' remained leaning on the wall, his arms crossed and his eyes closed. An untrained eye would mistake him for asleep, yet he was ready to move at a moment's notion, his mind primed for battle.

Amusingly for Nena, the one thing she could think about when looking at Bushido was that he was what Patters would call 'Weeabo'.

"Man, they just wouldn't let go." Nena reminisced about what had happened yesterday once they had taken the kids to a state orphanage. The one boy, who she now knew was called 'Elam' had cried bitterly once she dropped him. She promised she'd come visit from time to time, making a note on her mind to not keep her promise. The twin girls, Thalia and Sera, those had been the most terrified of them, thinking they were supposed to live with the team from there on then finding out they were actually just being dropped at the orphanage. Thankfully the baby had remained asleep through it all.

"I just hope they find a home soon. They're already getting old for adoption." Soma was specially worried about Kamila. The girl, in all of her anger and hesitation, had begun to warm up to her and, strangely, to Regene. Despite the fact that she understood from the first moment that they'd be together until they arrived to the AEU, she had almost sounded betrayed at being left there. Perhaps she had thought the arrangement only held for her younger siblings. Maybe she'd asked her when she saw her again.

"Meh." Nena shrugged, her arms crossed. "They'll be fine. Since the dawn of history, exotic children have that 'je ne sais quois' that makes pseudo-intellectual parents to flock to them." She appropriated one of Patrick's phrases to express her thoughts. "Granted, Kamila will probably just be there until she grows older. Tha one -is- already quite old."

"I half thought you were going to go for it, Smirnoff." Regene commented while eyeing Soma with a single eye, the other remaining closed. When he referred to her by surname, the other Smirnoff reacted by instinct, then awkwardly turned away once he realized he was talking to the silver-haired girl. That action didn't go unnoticed by Soma, whose gaze lingered for a second on Andrei, then replied to her teammate.

"I can hardly take care of another human being as I am now."

"I wouldn't be so sure, Soma." Louise chirped, her hands on Litchi, who sat on her lap. "You were adorable with the children."

"That was more like an 'older sister' kind of thing." Nena opined.

As they became silent once again, Andrei felt more and more uncomfortable at Soma's presence. While his surname was decently common, something in him said that the fact she was 'Smirnoff' had something to do with his father. Gathering on his courage, he was about to address the matter with her when the briefing room's door opened.

"Good day, team." Kati started vigorously, walkign into the room with a tablet under her arm. They all got up, Soma, Andrei and Louise quickly, Regene and Nena leisurely, and saluted. Bushido opened his eyes and trained his gaze on her, to which she nodded in acknowledgement. Behind her, Aber Lindt walked like a ghost, his steps firm but devoid of spirits.

"It seems A-Laws wasted no time to get the best around in their ranks." Bushido suddenly said. "I hope you've been well, Colonel Mannequin?"

"I apologize, Mr. Bushido." She started, feeling ever so slightly uncomfortable at his moniker. "Have we met before?"

He closed his eyes and smiled. "Who hasn't heard of the 'Iron Lady'? Your reputation simply precedes you, Colonel."

"Ah, I'm honored, then." She nodded. "Hopefully I won't disappoint you."

"As long as you don't drag me away from my target, I'm sure we'll be able to work together just fine." He assured her without opening his eyes. Kati decided it was best to just leave it at that and addressed the male Smirnoff in the room. "Ensign Andrei Smirnoff. I read about your prowess in the last battle. I must say I'm impressed."

"Ma'am!" Andrei accepted the compliment as he was taught. Firmly, and yet with all the humbleness he could muster.

"I'm curious to know, how did you manage? I understand you piloted an Ahead mobile suit. Even our Norns had trouble with them on the Ahead." She crossed her arms, trying to figure out the ensign's capabilities.

Sheepishly, he put his hand on the back of his neck. "To be honest, I think I just reacted as a man about to die and somehow that gave me strength. I don't have a lot of practice under my belt, after all."

"Well, you have survived an encounter with Celestial Being, you've become an important asset now. Keep up the good work." She concluded, as she begun the interface with the room's wall display to commence the briefing. He saluted again in response, with a hint of pride now.

"Let's begin." She started. "We have received information regarding Katharon's base in the desert near Afghanistan. According to our data, they have managed to gather a sizeable force there, and the risk they present for our federation's peace has become too great to ignore." The display showed the area's map, with photographs showing what the satellites had captured to confirm such information. "Furthermore, it appears like Celestial Being is also there, so we assume the resistance once we attack will be great. And that's where we come in. Major?" She gave Lindt the room's attention.

Without missing his cue and in a robotic tone, he took a step forward and begun. "While my people deal with Katharon's foot soldiers and mobile suits, the Norns will engage and keep Celestial Being on them. We'll strike as fast as we can, striking with all of our might. All you need to do is nullify their threat against us. You're the best suited for the task and we understand that now your mobile suits have been fine tuned to face them." He informed the gathered people about the general plan, then nodded at Kati.

"Our strategy will be as such." She continued. "major Lindt's forces will strike first, with an aim to take them as unprepared as possible. Once they start moving, his mobile suit wing will deal with Katharon's machines. We'll remain as backup and only engage if Celestial Being apepars. It appears that they're not stationed in the base per se but nearby, so our position will be between Major Lindt's squadron and from where they're expected to show up." She turned to Louise, who felt the sudden attention and gulped. "Halevy, you'll be on the lookout on a higer altitude, as usual."

"Understood." Louise turned her expression into 'full seriousness' as she acknowledged.

"Regetta, you'll be closest to the assault forces to employ your newly prepared portable field devices on an emergency." Kati continued, to which he simply nodded. "Smirnoff and Trinity will remain in the midway as the first targets to be engaged by them."

"Yes, ma'am!" They replied in unison, then looked at each other, smirking.

The Colonel then turned to address Mr. Bushido. "I understand that you're joining us under "licensed officer" status, but, if possible, I ask that you assisst the Norns should the situation require it." She requested instead of ordered.

"If it suits my fancy, then very well." He shrugged non-chalantly.

"That will be enough, thank you. Well then, do you have any questions?" She asked the room. As the room remained silent, she motioned to conclude the meeting. "Very well then, we'll head over there on the morrow at 500 sharp. Dismissed!"

* * *

As they into the hangars preparing for the mission, that was when she saw him. Talking with Riya, there he was. It was most definitely not his style.

"Well, well, well. Look at what the cat brought in." Nena said, smirking, her hands on her hips. Louise, who was the one person that joined her on the way there looked at Nena, wondering what she meant.

The man in question closed his eyes, and adjusted his glasses. "I guess I wanted to make it a surprise." He said, halfway turning. Riya grinned her warmest grin looking at her two friends gathering like this.

And that was as much as Nena could contain herself. Taking a step back she took on speed, then leapt on Andreas Biaggi's back, tossing him into the ground with the momentum. A 'thud' and Louise's startled yelp joined Riya's laughter as they looked at the scene.

"Andy! What the hell, you didn't tell me anything about this last time we talked!" Nena said ecstatic while bouncing on his back.

"C-can't breathe, Nena..."

"Oh! Oh, yeah, sorry!" She apologized, while getting off of him. As he sat himself on the ground she embraced him, rubbing her face on his chest like a happy kitten. "I can't believe you're here!"

For his part he patted Nena's back and smiled down at her. "As I said, I wanted to make it a surprise." He smirked. "Professor Katagiri was asked to come assist A-Laws, so I naturally followed. Although I guess they assigned me to a certain team already. Some 'Team Norns', perhaps you've heard of them?" He said while grinning.

"Oh my god, you're gonna be part of the team! Aaaahhh!" She screamed in excitement.

"Our team is back together, huh?" Riya said from where she had taken a seat, her hands on the chair's base, leaning forward.

"Whoa, you're right." Nena separeted her face from Andreas' chest, then looked at both of her college teammates in turn. Good things awaited if they worked together again. "Man, I have tons of ideas and I couldn't think of anyone better to put them into practice! Why, with the n-" A throat getting cleared was heard from behind, and Nena remembered she was walking with Louise a moment ago. "Man, I forgot!" She got up and helped Andreas get up as well. "Andy, this is one of the Norns and a good friend of mine, Louise Halevy." She presented the blonde while motioning at her with her hand.

"It's a pleasure. Nena's always talking about you." She took Andreas' hand in a handshake.

"Hopefully good things." He quipped.

"Maaaaybe." Nena commented. "Lou, this is Andreas Biaggi. He's the smart cookie I've told you about before. And the guy I'm dating." She grinned.

"The pleasure's all mine, Miss Halevy."

"We're still missing Soma and Regene for you to meet the whole team but they'll probably show up soon enough." Nena continued. "But, hey! Welcome to the team! Does Kati know, by the way?"

"Yes, she had been informed beforehand." Andreas replied. "And as a matter of fact I was already working on some ideas to improve on your mobile suits. I was talking with Riya a moment ago about that, precisely." He pushed his glasses up on his nose's bridge, as he always did when he entered into his 'explanation-mode'. "Would you like to go by them, Norn 2 and Norn 4?"

"This is gonna be fun." Riya murmured in a sing-song tune as she watched the other three engage in conversation about the customized Aheads.

* * *

The desert's sands shone with the sun's intense light, giving the dunes a golden hue. Nearing the staging area, Kati awaited inside the ship's bridge for Major Aber Lindt's 'go-ahead' to begin their part in the mission. And the Norns awaited too.

She had decided to have Andreas and Riya at the bridge as well while the operation was conducted, partly to familiarize them with the duties on the bridge, partly to have them close-by so they could see the battle. She was hoping it could give them more ideas regarding the improvement of the team's mobile suits, and with the battleship's as well. In a way one could say she was planning for the future, for she knew that they couldn't quite face Celestial Being with brute technological force. They'd need to do it emplying their wits.

"Colonel, we're commencing the mission. It's time for the Norns to show up." Major Lindt's face appeared on her display.

"Acknowledged, Major. Continue on the mission, they're on their way."

"Understood." The display changed to 'Standing-by'.

"Norn 1. Your team is cleared to engage. There's still no sign of Celestial Being so proceed according to plan." She ordered Soma.

"Roger that, Colonel." The silver haired pilot of the newly-christened 'Ahead Pike' replied. Her suit's shining white sheen had been equipped with a modified lance from her GN-XIII, what was becoming her signature weapon. The missile pods from the shoulders had gotten smaller and moved to the thighs. The arms had been made thicker, with reinforced joints to better handle the heavy lance. "Norn 1, launching!" She shot away into the desert's airspace.

"Norn 2, on the way!" Nena went out in her new 'Ahead Efreet'. Taking on the advances made by the old 'Project Efreet', the customization of this ahead had removed the missle launchers entirely, since the suit's weaponry had changed into twin GN Machine-guns on the hips, a GN Handgun on the suit's left thigh for close-range, coupled with the usual GN Saber. And on the back, the red suit carried the recently recovered and modified rifle from Throne Eins, which everyone had taken to calling 'Eins Rifle' for identification, and at Nena's suggestion.

"Norn 3, commencing mission." In the case of Regene he employed what they had named the 'Ahead Hoplon'. Colored on a deep violet, this suit exchanged the rifle and machinegun with a heavier, more resistant shield. Furthermore, the shield employed its GN field particle generators for a cannon housed within. With missile pods both on the shoulders and legs, it gave the suit a very heavy look.

"Are you ready, Litchi?" Louise talked to her new co-pilot, the pink Haro that Riya gave her.

"Anytime, Lulu! Anytime Lulu!" The round robot replied happily.

That made Louise smile. "Alrighty, then. Watch my back, buddy! Norn 4, striking in!" Louise rode out on the golden colored 'Ahead Pixie'. Much lighter than her three teammate's suits, it almost looked more like a Union Flag than an Ahead. With two GN beam rapiers on the hips, GN beam sabers on the knees, and sharp E-carbon wings coated with GN Particles, the suit could slash almost from any direction, and with great speed. A single GN submachine gun was the suit's only ranged option.

"Striking in, huh?" Nena observed on Louise's new launching phrase.

"I'm sorry I'm not your bee anymore, Norn 2." Louise replied amused.

"Oh no, you sound more gallant. I'm swooning here in my cockpit." The readhead teased her.

"Hopefully it won't get in the way of the mission, Norn 2." Regene took his chance.

"Oh, you-shut it." She awkwardly retorted, not expecting his assitance on Louise.

"We're getting close, people." Soma half-admonished them, half-informed them. "Still no sign of them, I see." Zooming in, she began to assess the situation. Yet what she saw shook her to the core. "Colonel, I hope you're seeing this..."

* * *

"W-what is this?!" The massacre before Louise's eyes looked like a nightmare given true form. Four-legged automatons riddled any human in their vincinity with a hail of bullets. It reminded her of...

"Louise, are you ok? Louise, are you ok?" The voice of little Litchi took Louise back from her utter shock. If anything, knowing that even while seeing a scene reminiscent of her own tragedy didn't quite make her scream in pain was a small relief. But this massacre was the pure stuff of nightmares, of that there was no doubt. "What are we even doing? Is this our justice? Is this A-Laws' justice!?" She had seen Vietnam, and the middle-east. She had seen the one-sided battles. Yet in each and every one the foe fought to the last, like soldiers. This looked more like animals in a slaughterhouse. Sheplaced a hand on her Haro for a bit of solace.

"Soma..." Nena called for her friend as she heard Louise bitterly complain. They had to give her some notion of what they knew, what they were doing. A way to soothe her soul.

Thankfully words were barely needed between them, from the bond that somehow helped them communicate silently. "Halevy. No...Louise." Soma started. "Seems they're not showing up and this seems...rather wrapped up. Let's head back to the ship. We need to talk." She requested instead of ordered with her tone. "Nena, did you get all that?" She asked the redhead, referring to the scene.

"Yeah, it's done. Time to g-whoa!" She informed Soma then barely dodged a particle blast headed her way. Too late had Celestial Being showed up to give them battle but it was clear they were enraged.

"Damnit, did no one see them approach?!" Soma screamed at the bridge, placing herself between the approaching green Gundam and Louise. Extending her lance's reach she charged ahead with the weapon in front of her.

"They came out of nowhere!" One of the bridge's crew informed her.

Opening the communications link, Kati called Major Lindt. "Major, what's your mission status?"

"We're wrapping things up here. Just cover our exit and then clear off. We're pretty much done." Came the quick reply.

"I can see that, alright." Kati darkly remarked under her breath. "Norns, distract Celestial Being long enough for Major Lindt's team to move out, then get away! Taking them down in these conditions is unadviced!"

* * *

"Damn you, A-Laws! Damn you all to hell!" They could hear the enemy pilot's voice. "You're nothing more than butchers! But here I am, face me! Face an opponent that can fight back!"

"He's losing his cool..." Nena observed. "Shit!" She saw the bulky Gundam resembling Virtue aim for the charging Soma, so she quickly let loose a shot from the Eins Rifle to dissuade him. Thankfully the attempt succeeded, so she primed her rifle for the next shot. "Norn 3, Norn 4! Be on the lookout for orange and blue!" She yelled at her teammates while watching her shots bonce off harmlessly off of 'Not-Virtue'. "Damnit!" She hung the rifle on her suit's back and quickly drew her twin machine guns to further draw his attention on her. "I'll play with you, buddy, come on!"

"I can only see the orange one!" Louise quickly reacted, then zoomed ahead to face him. "Litchi, help me out here!" She asked of her Haro.

"I got you! I got you!" Litchi notified its partner, allowing her to focus on targetting and striking.

"Seems like you need some help, Norn 1!" Regene quipped, as he let loose two cannon shots at the green Gundam. The shield bits went into action, protecting the suit. "Well, at least now I know I still need some piercing power."

While the enemy was distracted, Soma charged in and pierced into him. Unfortunately for her, he still managed to react quickly enough to only lose his shoulder armor. The exposed wirings sparked yet the arm was still operational. Regardless of that, she turned her lance to the handle and impacted him with it, then slashed him away with a swift wide slash that impacted on a couple shield bits, slicing them both apart. "Norn 3!" She yelled at Regene, who took the opportunity to move ahead, letting loose a missile barrage as he covered her.

"Is that your best, huh?!" Lockon taunted, then let loose a gun barrage at both Norns. The Ahead Hoplon's shield took the brunt of the impacts, blackened spots being the only evidence of the shots. Soma had to whirl her lance with incredible speed to protect herself, the trail of GN particles acting as some sort of shielding. Once the barrage was over, she charged in once more, only managing to impale a couple more shield bits.

"He's going to run out eventually, keep it up!" Regene once more let loose several missile so Soma wouldn't have to worry about getting shot after her run-through.

* * *

"Let's move out, now!" Nena yelled as well and focused on dodging the bazooka blasts only. One of them grazed her suit's foot, melting it away. "Whoa, close one."

"This foe is quite evasive." Tieria observed, thinking of some strategy to counter. Perhaps if he charged in with the GN Field fully deployed...

"The hell is he-oh crap!" Nena realized the action quickly enough, and the enemy Gundam only managed to take her other foot away with the charge. The charge made her whirl a couple times in the air but she managed to set herself on place quickloy enough. "Bad matchup, bad matchup!" She lamented, then she saw him prime for another bazooka blast. "Ugh, not this time, buster!" She went down to the dunes this time and taking advantage of the golden sand's glare she quickly sneaked behind and let loose a series of machine gun barrages with her dual weapons.

"Impossible, the enemy can't be this fast!" Tieria exclaimed, incredulous. Thankfully the Seravee's armor was thick enough to take the few shots that managed to get in before he deployed his GN Field again.

* * *

"This isn't where we fight. See to your fallen!" Louise somberly remarked at the orange Gundam with her voice slightly broken while they were locked in combat, their swords clashing once and again. Only through leaving the piloting maneuvers to Litchi did she manage to keep up, yet it was obvious which one was the superior suit from the slashes that he managed to hit her with. Some of her suit's light armor's pieces fell off serving their purpose, and for every ten strikes of him, she managed to place one.

"Even if I can't quite judge you, this massacre is hideous." She heard the orange Gundam's pilot admonish her. "I'm sure I can at least take you down!"

"Damn it!" She wasn't sure if the words or the impacts hurt her more. She felt her morale diminish quickly, yet she pressed on. She'd need to see this through, somehow make things right. She wasn't sure how, but at least it helped her have something to carry her on in the battle, a reason to fight for. Crossing through as if they were jousting, she barely managed to slice half off the enemy's V-fin, yet her suit lost an arm.

"They're very quick, almost as if they had trans-am..." Allellujah thought to himself. "If only I still had Hallellujah to help me, this fight would have been over long ago."

"Lulu, we can do it! Lulu, we can do it!" Litchi cheered on Louise.

"Right! We're not falling here! Even if we cannot be forgiven!" She felt something swell within her. In her previous circumstances she would have started to lose it right then and there yet her sessions with Riya had begun to give fruit already. Focusing with all her might she managed a lucky strike where she pierced the enemy's head camera, which she took as a cue to fly away.

* * *

"Come back here, you bastards! Didn't you want us?! Don't run away, cowards!" The green Gundam's pilot taunted them in his fury, but to no avail.

"This is no justice. No justice." Louise lamented as she joined her comrades in escaping. It also occured to her that had the fight gone on they would've lost, and such reality hit her harder once she realized the blue Gundam hadn't even been there. Clearly they needed to finish the modifications on their suits before engaging them again.

"Look at it on the bright side: we didn't leave them unscathed." Regene attempted. The silence that he got back as a result told him all he needed to know about his teammates mood. "Right..."

The last thing they saw was the green Gundam shoot like a madman at the automatons, letting his rage fuel his revenge.

* * *

Yeah, not quite a match, but hey, they're getting there. If last fight was 40-10, this was more like 30-20. Only CB didn't have the ace player fielded but...details! Also, dat chapter title-drop.

Well then, as always your comments and criticisms are much appreciated. I know I still have a long way to go, in regards of my writing skill. Mostly I can only hope it's still making you come back for more every week. We'll deal with this battle's aftermath on our next chapter and maybe we'll see our dear Norns give more of a fight the next time they face those dreaded Celestial Being boys! See ya!


	20. Lost yet Found

So I've taken to watching the Monogatari series lately and it was when I reached Koimonogatari that I realized it.

Lockon and Louise are Kaiki and Senjougahara.

Then I imagined those two cosplaying the other two. Whatever iteration that came to your mind when I wrote that holds true. But yeah, it was kinda funny and cool at the same time.

Also, chapter 17 is here! Boy, are you guys in for a ride! Or at least I think so. Hopefully. Anyways, as long as you enjoy it it's cool in my book. Enjoy the show!

* * *

**Chapter 17 - Lost yet Found**

The heavy atmosphere that was felt inside the battleship's hangar was palpable. Sparks from the Efreet after it lost both of its feet, the almost stripped-naked Pixie and the impacts from Cherudim's pistols on Pike's lance and Hoplon's shield were testament to the short but tense battle. Getting down from their suits, the four pilots of the Team Norns dried up their sweat and drank water while the maintenance crews began working immediately on the mecha.

"You fought well." Andreas placed a hand on Nena's shoulder, who leaned her cheek on it with her eyes closed, grateful for the support. "That bulky enemy mobile suit had quite the resitant armor."

After swallowing the water from her bottle, she sighed. "Worst match up, ever. I don't think I can beat him without an even stronger rifle or by changing my fighting style completely. I guess we still got our work cut out for us."

"Rest for now, I'll see to your suit's needs." He reassured her.

"Alrighty. I need to talk with Lou and Soma first, then I'll go take a nap." She hit him softly with the side of her fist on his arm, then walked towards her blonde teammate.

On the distance, Louise got down with Litchi on her arms. "How are you feeling?" Riya approached her, referring to both human and robot.

Leaving her thoughts and feelings about the battle aside for the moment so she could talk with Riya, Louise replied. "Actually, I think we did pretty good. I wouldn't have been able to keep up with the orange Gundam without Litchi's help." She rubbed the spherical robot as she said so.

"Lulu is strong! Lulu is strong!" It happily provided, waving its noodly metal arms.

"And I managed to keep my wits on battle. I'm truly grateful for your advice, Riya." She half-smiled with a slightly saddened expression, in contrast to what she had mentioned.

"Something's bothering you, though?"

Louise hesitated for a moment, looking to the side, yet she finally decided it should be fine to tell her. "In the middle of battle I felt like some sort of adrenaline rush, but somehow...stronger. I felt so much more focused than usual and it felt right. It felt so right then I realized I was enjoying battle. Now that I can think about it more clearly it was a bit scary."

"Hmmmm." Riya put an index finger to her lips and looked to the roof as if searching for answers. "I guess that now that your emotions are sharpened you instead started going into a sort of battle trance. As long as you reflect on how it's only to survive, it should actually be a good thing, y'know?" She smiled at her pilot friend.

That did serve to make her feel better. "Yeah, I guess. The goal is to come back alive, after all, huh?"

"That's right!"

She took a deep breathe, closing her eyes. She then recalled again what Soma had told her, about wanting to meet her afterwards. "Can you look after Litchi for me? I need to talk with Soma and Nena." She handed the pink Haro over to Riya, then noticed Nena approach.

"Let's go, Lou." Nena told her at the same time as she patted Riya's shoulder in acknowledgement, receiving a nod as reply from the engineer.

* * *

In Kati's office, they sat. Louise, Nena and Soma gathered with Kati there, for the latter three thought that it would be a good idea to tell the former. About why would they even remain with A-Laws. They knew she had started to harbor doubts.

Any reasonable person would.

Her hands clasped and leaning forward, Kati rested her elbows on the office's desk. The glint of her glasses made it look as if they were completely white. Judging the moment to be good enough to begin, she started talking.

"We did know that situations like this happened in A-Laws, Halevy. I feel like you did in some level, too. By interacting with Smirnoff and Trinity you've gotten to know them and you must be wondering." She paused for effect. "Why would they even willingly remain? Why would they cooperate with A-Laws? Let me ask you something first. Why did you join?"

Louise thought about it for a second. If she said that it had been for vengeance it wouldn't even stiil be true anymore. As she fought with the Norns she saw. She saw how people struggled, how even those that opposed A-Laws screamed in bitter frustration. Why were they taking their land? Their struggle? Was the only path submission? Was the only recourse to join, even if they disagreed?

She looked straight into the Colonel's eyes and realized that it wasn't so simple to say. "I must admit I had personal reasons at first." She begun. "If you would judge me mistaken for taking that as my reason, now I can say that I'd agree. I won't deny that reason still harbors a big part inside of me, regarding the why. But now I also feel like this world needs justice."

She now looked down. "They're taking advantage of those who cannot fight!" She closed her fists and her eyes, and the image of Saji came to her mind. Her family too, back when they were happy. When there were smiles. "They're forcing everyone, instead of trying to come to a compromise, now I can see! That massacre was just..." She clenched her teeth, afraid that if she continued she'd start sobbing. She felt Nena's hand on her back, but without her saying anything.

"It's true." Kati continued from where Louise stopped. "And you'd be surprised if you knew how many take similar reasons as their motivation to join. Are they wrong? Perhaps, but some would say that there are as many reasons to fight as people on the battlefield. So in that regard, you're not at fault. However, now that your reasons have evolved and that I know what they are, I can tell you why we're here."

Kati stood up and looked towards the door, but her gaze seemed as if she was searching for answers that weren't anywhere in the room, or in the battleship for that matter. "Some would say 'then let's disband them, by force if necessary!' Some would think that's enough, yet it's not. If we want justice to truly come, then we must do it by looking towards justice itself. Will killing them solve it? Who will we kill, then? If there were other people inside A-Laws that thought like us, should they kill us too?" She looked at Louise, who had managed to rein herself and was now looking at Kati as well. "I don't think we're the only repositories of justice, that'd be arrogant. And with that in mind, our reason to remain is so that we can find out who exactly is behind it all. And to bring all of those who are to justice." She then looked at Soma, as if allowing the silver-haired woman to provide her point of view.

"We're not who to say who dies or who lives." Soma commented while looking at Louise. "If we wish for justice to come we need to leave that to the world as a whole. For they're doing a disservice to the world itself. If you would agree with us then, join us. For true this time. Help us find out, help us gather the necessary evidence to make them answer."

Then Nena took her moment to comment. "I guess we're no better for going along so far. Only the world would know if we're to be punished, too. But until we can make a decisive move, unfortunately we have to act like this. But you did notice right, how many have we killed? Did we kill the Shadow? How about the Bloodhounds? In the middle-east, we only destroyed when we had no other choice. Did you ever wonder why?"

Louise thought back. True enough, they had only killed when it was absolutely necessary. Some of those soldiers were so desperate and valiant that sparing them would have meant death for the Norns themselves. "Even if our inactivity would damn us already, when we allowed others to kill, I can see that it would be the necessary evil to get into the core of this poison in the world."

"Then you would help us?" Kati asked, hopeful.

When Soma and Nena had said something about a way to soothe her soul, she didn't guess it would be something like this. She thought they'd tell her it was simply the burden of the soldier or some other military justification. But knowing the truth now, she saw that it indeed soothed her that their objective was to return justice to their battered world. She looked at her teammates in turn, then straight into Kati's eyes. "Yes. Yes, I would."

* * *

A few hours afterwards, they found themselves in the briefing room, joined by Major Aber Lindt and Mr. Bushido. Andrei Smirnoff was there as well, and as Soma entered he looked at her as if still trying to figure out something. They hadn't had the chance to talk yet and he made up his mind that he'd try to ask her after this.

Walking to the lectern inside the room, Kati commenced. "I'll be brief. We've received word from HQ that the Ptolomaios battleship has been spotted over the sea, a mere 20 miles from where the Katharon base was attacked. And as such, they've ordered us to bring them to heel once and for all. For this, we'll stage a full on assault, joining forces with Major Lindt's squadron and Mr. Bushido's support."

"I refuse." Mr. Bushido stated, in his customary position near the door, his arms crossed and his eyes closed.

To her credit, Kati remained calm. "May I ask for what reason?"

"You may." Bushido said, then looked at Kati with one eye open. "I'm only interested if the Gundam with twin drives is present."

Kati smirked at that. "Well, as luck would have it, the satellites indicate that they should be at full force now. I suppose it wll be for a future engagement, then. A shame." She tilted her head, waiting for the bait to be caught.

And he took it immediately. "Hmph. It appears I sheathed my sword too fast. I'll fight the twin drive, and only the twin drive. Expect nothing else from me." He turned around and started making his way out.

"Laters, Samurai Bob." Nena murmured in a sing-song tune.

Mr. Bushido stopped for a moment, then resumed his walk out of the room.

"Seriously, what's up his butt? And who uses a mask these days, he think he's Mantis Rider or something?" Nena mocked him once he was out.

"Mantis Rider? Dare I ask?" Regene teased her.

"Nothiiiiing." Nena turned her head aside and crossed her arms, her cheeks red at being caught with knowledge that would be expected from someone like Patters instead of her.

"Well then, seems the twin drive is accounted for." Kati said louder than normal to recover order. "We'll organize ourselves in squads to take each of the other three machines, then."

* * *

Andrei lost sight of Soma once they left the briefing room, but as he looked frantically around the battleship he found her in the hangars, apparently talking to the blond-haired Norn. He quickly approached them and greeted the two. "Lieutenant Smirnoff, I apologize for interrupting you but, may I have a moment of your time?" He said as he saluted.

"Oh, we were done, anyways." Louise said. "I'll see you later then, Soma. Lieutenant." She nodded to both, then walked away. In any other circumstances Andrei would have probably noticed Louise even further but as it were, he had more pressing matters.

"I don't mind, Lieutenant, how may I help you?" She placed her hands behind her and faced him directly.

"You, uh..." He thought of what to say, then sharpened his gaze with resolution. "I couldn't help but notice your last name and, well...this might sound weird but I wonder if you know Colonel Sergei Smirnoff?"

"The colonel? Of course. I'm his daughter." She replied, matter-of-factly.

And the revelation took Andrei for a loop. "H-his daughter? How is that possible? I mean-" Had he cheated on his mother. Had that bastard dared do such a thing? And now it turned out he had a half-sister!

"Well, it might be more accurate to say I'm his adoptive daughter."

"Oh." He once again got taken by surprise. "Oh, I see. That's...yes, I suppose."

"And you know him? You're also a Smirnoff, perhaps f-you're part of the colonel's family!" She quickly realized it. It hadn't quite crossed her mind once she met him, Smirnoff was a rather common last name in HRL Russia after all. But this talk had made her realize it, even though...

"I suppose he doesn't talk too much about the rest of his family." He crossed his arms. "I am, as a matter of fact, his son. As in, biological son." He said, partly upset. True enough, they hadn't talked much in the last six years but to not even tell her about his existance.

"He never did. We even had a christmas celebration, even Nena, and Patrick and Kati were there..." She trailed off, wondering what it all meant. Then she realized one other thing, it seemed she had just gotten a brother. "Then we're siblings of sorts! That's wonderful!"

"I suppose so." He replied darkly, and once he noticed Lieutenant Soma's expression grow dejected he was quick to correct himself. She had no fault in it after all. "I mean, my father and I, we have our issues. I don't really talk to him much, if at all." He turned to the side.

"Is there anything I can do? I mean, isn't it sad, knowing that we're family but that we can't quite be as such?" She tried.

And even if she was not at fault he felt insulted. How would she know? His expression grew hard. "I think you should ask him first, Lieutenant Smirnoff. There's some things that man should tell you about the rest of his circumstances. Perhaps that way you'd understand. But regardless, now the mystery is solved and I thank you. I need to reflect on this, if you'd excuse me." He turned around abruptly, leaving Soma behind with more questions than answers.

"But, Andrei!" She pleaded.

Soma calling him by his first name made him stop. "I'll allow you that much, Lieutenant. You're not at fault and with that in mind I'd suggest you truly find out the full story from him. You'll know the kind of man he is."

* * *

As luck would have it, the squads had ended up putting Soma and Andrei in the same assignment: taking down the orange Gundam. It spoke volumes of their professionalism that they were resolved to not letting the situation affect them. Soma reflected she could try again later. She had a brother now and, perhaps from seeing Nena and Patrick, she honestly wanted to try.

Louise went ahead with Regene against the bulky Gundam with black accents, at Nena's suggestion. The red-head had noticed she was a terrible opponent for him still so Norn 3 and 4 would have to face him this time, supported by a dettachment of Aheads.

And Nena would face the green one, aided by her own squad of Aheads as well. It occured to her how funny it was to face them like this, being on the other side. Or perhaps not quite.

"They approach." Bushido notified them. "And with them my quarry. Do not stand in my way." He warned, and shot ahead of everyone else to fight with the twin drive.

"Be careful not to undo your topknot!" Nena tossed a barb at him, then focused on her task. "Alright guys, keep in mind this guy shoots to kill, be careful!"

"Andrei, the orange Gundam approaches, cover me while I get in melee range!" Soma requested of him.

"I'm on it!" He akcnowledged and employed his suit's submachine gun to draw the Gundam's fire on him.

"It's them." Louise murumured to herself. "Yet, why can't I feel the same animosity anymore?"

"Lulu knows what's important! Lulu knows what's important!" As Louise had confided in her little friend before, Litchi reminded her of what made her fight now, perhaps even more than her gradually dwindling sense of vengeance.

She smiled at the pink robot. "Heh, that's right. Then let's fight for a future. It's time to strike in, Litchi!"

"For the world! For the world!" Litchi said as if psyching itself up.

* * *

"You moved faster before, why do you hesitate, pilot?" Soma found herself locked in furious battle with the orange Gundam's pilot, yet she noticed all he did was parry and try to scramble away, even as she kept closing in.

"Marie! Please stop! Let me talk to you, we should not be here!" He pleaded to her.

"Are you daft? The battlefield is no place for talking!" She admonished him while pressing in with a flurry of stabs, of which a couple pierced the enemy suit's left arm. "Perhaps if my comrades were not around, at risk of being shot down. But as it is, only battle remains!" She explained and slashed the pierced arm cleanly off of the orange Gundam's suit.

"I see..." He lamented it. "You sound so...resolute. Oh, Marie..." As Alellujah realized the futility of it all, he did know she was right. They would be unable to talk like this. So he had to make his way out, perhaps help the others. He saw his path once he noticed the other mobile suit that was accompanying Marie. With blinding speed he shot ahead and decided he'd slice that other suit apart to make his exit. Less enemies meant less pressure on his comrades, after all.

And Soma noticed it. "Andrei, look out!" She screamed, then pursued the enemy closely.

"He's too fast, I won't be able to dodge!" Andrei put his shield up and prepared for the worst. The impact sliced the left side of his suit clean, and only through his swiift reaction did he avoid death. But when he saw the enemy prepare a second slice he realized his suit would now be too damaged to move. He closed his eyes and waited...

"NOT MY BROTHER!" Soma shouted again and, with a missile barrage from her leg's pods, she managed to stop the orange Gundam on his path. With a quick slash she attempted to cut him in two...

But the enemy was skilled enough to dodge. Without slowing her pace, she turned the lance backwards and hit him with the handle, and then pierced the side of the suit, almost too close to the cockpit. With his suit exploding, Alellujah saw only one course to take in his desperation. "I won't lose you again, Marie!" He made his suit grab on Marie's tight, the sparks damaging the white Ahead as well.

"Let go, you bastard! Argh!" Soma felt the heat around her increase, and without being able to release herself from the orange Gundam's grasp, started to fall.

"Lieutenant Smirnoff! SOMAAAAAAA!" Andrei screamed after his sister, watching powerless to do anything.

* * *

"Norn 1, what happened? Norn 1!" Nena tried to contact Soma, after hearing all that was happening but through the comms link. A series of shots from the green Gundam made her pull her attention back to the fray. "Damnit, you're persistant! Don't you know girls hate guys so persistent?!"

"I'll take my chances!" Lockon retorted. "Maybe you'll enjoy my determination!"

"Fat chance, buster!" She let loose a couple sniper shots that pierced the damnable shield bits, but left the main suit unscathed.

"Lockon! 00 Raiser has been disabled, move in to support Setsuna!" Tieria notified his teammate while deploying his GN Field at full force. The golden and violet Aheads had given him a run for his money so he had been barely able to take any enemy down. This had been an utter loss.

A smokescreen gave them the chance they were looking for. "All Gundams, whithdraw for now!" They heard Sumeragi's order and, with the smoke's aid, they managed to retreat.

'Their tactics were sloppy until now. What could this mean?' Kati analyzed from the Guyana-class' bridge, then ordered out loud. "All forces, regroup! Fighting in these conditions will only spell disaster!"

* * *

As they all got off their suits in the hangar, Nena zero'd in on Andrei Smirnoff. He looked shaken, yet she needed answers. "What happened to Soma, where is she?!" She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him.

"The enemy..." He replied while looking to the floor. "He took me by surprise, I was assisting her and then he struck, so fast. She took him down but then..."

"You were with her and you let this happen?!"

He looked up, insulted at the implication. "My suit was cut in half, I couldn't even move!"

The punch he received was so sudden the pain didn't even register. "You useless bastard!" The readhead screamed in both anger and pain. She felt Louise grab her from behind to prevent further assault on Andrei. "Let me go, Lou. Damn it!"

"Calm down, Trinity. I analyzed the Pike's feed before communications ended." Regene tried to calm her. "They fell on an island and I'm willing to guess they were mostly unharmed. The fall was slowed enough for the impact to not be that hard."

"I'm going back, I'm going to find her, then!" She stopped squirming, then announced her intent.

"You will do no such thing, Lieutenant." Nena heard and with a very angry scowl she turned to see Major Lindt approach the gathered pilots. "We need to plan the strike on the weakened Celestial Being. This is our chance, after all."

"Why, you!" She moved in to punch him but then saw Kati approach as well. "Colonel!" She turned to Kati, her eyes full of anger.

"I don't remember you relieving me from my command on the Team Norns, Major. I'd appreciate it if you didn't gave my team orders without my consent." She admonished Lindt.

"But the HQ commanded-"

"HQ has given me this team and to manage it to the best of my ability. Every member is very important and as such, I'm of a mind to recover our team's field leader."

Lindt seethed, his arms tense on his sides, then turned around.

"Major, let me aid in the search, please!" In a moment of recklesness, Andrei begged Lindt despite the previous comment of HQ's orders.

"Of course not, you imbecile! You'll come with us and plan the next strike, now move!"

"But I!" He started again, then saw Colonel Mannequin's hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Lieutenant. We'll find her and bring her back safe." She looked to Louise and Regene, then. "Regetta, aid Trinity in her search. Halevy, come with me."

"Ma'am!" Louise replied firmly.

"I guess I'm on hound duty, huh?" Regene shrugged, but complied.

* * *

Searching the surrounding islands was becoming troublesome now. The night was approaching fast and then they'd have to go back. Thankfully, Nena and Regene had gotten help in the form of Sergei Smirnoff. The man had taken a GN-XIII and flown out as soon as he had heard of Soma's disappearance.

It helped Nena's stressed brain to think that pops loved his kid so much to leave everything behind to find her. Supporting him also calmed her foul mood. If she felt worried she could only wonder how he felt.

"Well find her, Sergei, I promise. Soma's a strong girl, we'll be laughing about this soon enough over a vodka shot." She said to the man.

"I know." Sergei replied, trying to reassure himself in the process. "She's strong, alright. She's my daughter after all."

"That she is, pops. That she is."

* * *

The buzzing of the island's insects as the night quickly approached were what woke Alellujah up. A crackling of fire could also be heard from outside, and the tent where he was currently resting felt rather homey despite the precarious situation. Grunting, he placed a hand over his eyes, attempting to remember what just had happened.

Right, he had been fighting with Marie, or Soma, as she called herself. While he knew he was far from how skilled he used to be, he felt he had been utterly overpowered. Only desperation gave him the will to grab on her as he fell. He reflected that was probably the last thing he should have done.

"Marie..." He murmured under his breath. And then the thought came to him: whatever happened to her? As he felt the tension rise inside of him from the thought, the tent's flap opened to answer it.

"I see you're up and running now." He heard Marie say. "How are you feeling?" She asked as she sat down on the sleeping bag opposite to his.

"I'm...fine, I think. A little headache but nothing to worry about." A little rumble was heard from his belly. "I guess I'm also hungry." He sheepishly added.

She smirked at that, her hands on her hips. She was even more beautiful than what he remembered. "Good thing father took me camping before, or I wouldn't have the skills I have now. Wait up." She got up and went outside, leaving the flap open. A fire could be heard and a metallic camping pot could be seen over it, cooking whatever was inside. He rose up on the sleeping bag midway to see better and saw Marie pour some liquid on a wide cup, then walk back inside the tent. "Here you go, it's just some soup but it should be filling enough."

As Alellujah took the cup in his hands he reflected on a piece of information she had just said. "Your father taught you?"

Tucking a fleck of hair behind her ear, she sat again. "Yeah. Well, maybe it would be more accurate to say my 'adoptive' father. But it really feels like it makes no difference."

"Right." He replied, then fell silent as he drank the soup. The hot liquid managed to rouse him fully and the stock in it was tasty enough for him.

"That's my name, huh?" She said quietly, but not so much that he didn't hear. "Marie?"

"Do you remember, now?" Alellujah calmly asked, keeping his elation hidden for the moment.

Marie looked to the side. "Not...quite?" She saw him lower his gaze, utterly saddened. "But somehow I can tell you're not making it up. And it rings a bell for some reason, as if I did know a Marie. Perhaps if you refresh my memory?" She prodded him, and he thought that even if she didn't remember, she already behaved a little like how he remembered Marie did.

He told her of 'Home', of the experiments they conducted on them, on everyone. He told her of how they met, and there she grabbed her head but without showing pain, as if the pieces of the puzzle fell softly instead of suddenly. He told her of how him and others decided to escape one day and how he lamented not taking her with him. He told her of how he felt relieved afterwards for not taking her with him after all, because of what he ended up doing, as Hallelujah.

He paused before telling her of how he returned four years ago, piloting Kyrios. How he killed them all, the ones that remained. He knew he had to tell her or he wouldn't ever forgive himself. Even if she hated him he wanted to hide nothing from his dear Marie.

"It's alright." She shocked Alellujah. His wide, moistening eyes locked on hers expressed such underserved gratitude it was endearing. She couldn't help but smile one of her warmest smiles. "It's alright, Alellujah. I can feel it, I can feel how it has weighed on your soul ever since. And I know for certain that even if you're both the same, it's not quite that simple." Her expression darkened for a moment. "They made sure of that, that it wouldn't be so simple as saying that we were like anyone else." It seemed like she remembered something once her dark gaze lightened up again. "And I love someone that did something worse, how could I fault you?"

"You...love someone?" He asked, his disappointment palpable, but not accusing. As if he was resigning himself. If she was happy then...

She noticed. "N-no! I mean, not like that! More like...family." She trailed off. "Yes, more like family. Like a sister I never did have."

"Oh." He said, relieved. "You have friends, then? In the military, I mean?"

"Yeah, but not quite. At least that's not why we became friends."

They fell silent again, him driking the soup, her looking outside of the tent. The night was cool with the ocean's breeze, and the insects kept buzzing about. And then she spoke again.

"I remember now." Once again he raised his eyes, wide as plates. She was still looking to the outside. "I gave you that name, huh? I do still like it." He could see his Marie yet again, so kind. A fierceness he couldn't quite explain also lived in her, and somehow it made her look more...

She looked whole. And then she looked at him. "I do still like you." She tilted her head to the side, smiling. "You did know back then, right? I guess you being the only one who could hear me, it was inevitable."

"I've..." He put the cup down and placed a hand over his eyes. The moistness of his tears could not be stopped anymore. "I've thought of you ever since, Marie." He sobbed in happiness, his feelings overwhelming his thoughts. "I-I've missed you so, s-so much, Marie."

He didn't notice her embrace until after she was already wrapped around him, soothing him in a way that felt so much like her. So much like Marie.

* * *

"I think I see Soma." Nena notified Sergei. Employing her camera's zoom she assessed the situation. "It seems tha-whoa! Damn girl, I guess you lose no time at all, huh? So adorableeee!" She cooed, then realized something. "Oh my god, I think I'm seeing her first kiss..."

"Nena? What happened? Did you find her!?" Sergei asked her over the comms, apparently she had from what she was saying.

"Yes...I mean, NO! Pops, don't go there!" She quickly reacted and placed her Ahead in front of Sergei's GN-XIII, pushing it back with her manipulators.

"What's going on, is she ok? Nena, tell me!" Sergei grew restless. Was his daughter there or not?

"Oh she's fine, alright. Look, remember that orange Gundam dude from back then? Well, turns out they knew each other from before and...uh..." Nena stammered. How to avoid a meltdown from Papa Smirnoff?

"With Celestial Being? Are they fighting?!"

"Nah, they're getting along really well. Reaaaally well..."

"So they were friends. It seems she's ok then, from what y-wait, kiss?" It suddenly dawned on Sergei, what Nena had said before. A heavy silence followed.

"I'M GOING TO KILL THAT MAN! LET ME THROUGH, NENA!" Sergei suddenly broke the silence and tried to push past Nena to no avail.

"Chill, pops, chill!"

"GET YOUR FILTHY TONGUE OUT OFF MY LITTLE GIRL!"

* * *

After what Nena considered enough time, and after she quickly checked from the edge of her camera's sight, they approached the two missing soldiers. They were sitting over a tarp apparently talking, to Nena's relief. She still feared for AlelLujah's life though. They noticed the approaching mobile suits and Soma looked up, waving towards them.

"Nena! Father! You found me!" She greeted them, the expression on her face the very epitome of happiness. She approached Sergei and hugged him, then hugged Nena. Then she noticed Sergei's stare, barely contained rage fixated on Allelujah. "Father? It's ok, he's a friend! He means me nor you two any harm."

"Uh, I don't think that's what's making the wild bear thirst for blood today, Sommy." Nena looked to the side, her hands behind her back.

Gently placing his daughter to the side. he slowly started walking towards Allelujah.

"Sir, it's been a while. As Marie said, I mean you people no harm at all. But I'd l-huh?" Allelujah cut himself once Nena made a weird motion with her hand crossing her mouth repeatedly, as if saying that continuing to speak would be detrimental. Then he felt a menacing aura emanate from the man that was standing a nose away from him at that moment.

"I will destroy you, boy. I know what you did to my little girl a moment ago." Allelujah felt his face flush into white from that. "Any last words?"

"S-sir, I assure you I love Marie with all my heart! I cherish her more than anything in t-this world!" Allelujah felt something he had never felt before. Was he going to die to an overprotective dad's fury?

"Oh crap...father!" Soma quickly ran to where the two men were. She attempted to separate them both, noticing Sergei's stare intensify but still allowing her to move him. Now she fully understood where the 'Wild Bear' monicker had come from. "It's true! We love each other very much! Please, don't kill him!" She then turned to where Nena was trying to make herself scarce, directing a silent plea for help to her friend.

"Jeez, fine..." Giving up, she approached the sitcom in the making. "Hey there, Al." She raised her hand in greeting towards Allelujah, who forgot for a second what was happening to notice her presence, tilting his head in wonder, then a growl from Sergei made him turn his gaze right back at the menacing man, in fear. "Look, pops, she's more than old enough for those kinds of things, so cut the love birds some slack, c'mon. It was just a little kiss, don't you want to see your little girl happy?"

"NOT WITH A TERRORIST!" Sergei turned to Nena in anger.

"Whoa! Hey, seriously, calm down!" Nena raised her hands protectively. "Why don't we all sit down and talk? Let's walk a bit to sit under the mobile suit's light, alright?"

Grabbing her father's arm, Soma directed him to the mobile suits. Calming down a bit from the walk and his daughter rubbing his arm, he allowed her to guide him. Alellujah wisely kept his distance, approaching Nena. "What are you even doing here, Trinity?"

"Long story, man. To cut it short, I'm pals with Soma, so don't worry. I'd die for her if that answers your further questions." She replied.

"You do sound different, I suppose." He admitted, and decided to just leave it at that for the time being. Marie did say something about a friend and he came to the realization that she was talking about Nena. They then reached Sergei's mobile suit, and he still kept his distance, for his safety.

"Father, Alellujah is another victim from the super soldier program. We met at the 'Home' facility back then. And actually I'm the one who gave him his name. Most of us only had codes to identify each other, as you know." She attempted the pity route, which seemed to be working. His intense, murderous stare softened a bit as he looked at her and then at Alellujah.

"I see." Sergei acknowledged. After the initial rage he did feel sorry for the poor kids. Born to kill, but managing to find love with each other, he supposed it would be fine. And he did know Alellujah wasn't some blood-crazed killer. If anything, he knew of someone else who had changed their ways. "Boy, you called her Marie." Alellujah raised his gaze when he adressed him. "Is that her true name?"

"Yes sir, it is indeed." He steeled his spirit and faced the man. It helped that the colonel had been pacified now. "Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say she's both Marie Parfacy and Soma Peries."

"Smirnoff. Soma Smirnoff." Both Sergei and Soma said at the same time, which earned them a chuckle from Nena and a confused look from Allelujah, which then turned to yet more realization once he remembered the other bit of information Marie had given him.

Soma then cleared her throat and continued from where Allelujah stopped. "My time with you, father, and Nena, and my team has made both personalities equally important. My Marie persona had remained dormant until it managed to awaken thanks to Allelujah. Now I feel whole." She grabbed her father's hand and smiled. Sergei felt her warmth, and even he could tell. This wasn't quite Soma, her eyes said, yet he still could see her in her mannerisms.

"So your dominant persona is Marie now?" He hesitated, then a saddening thought crossed his mind. "Are you...not my daughter anymore?"

"I am!" She quickly said. Even as Marie had awakened she could feel immense love towards this man. She could feel her need to be loved by her father, even if it had been her Soma self who had interacted with him. "It's actually rather complicated. I guess you could say I'm both at the same time. I'm Marie, the woman who loves Allelujah, but I'm also Soma, your daughter, and Nena's friend." She then turned to Allelujah and smiled at him, which he gladly reciprocated. "Yet we could even say the opposite is also true, Soma is fond of Allelujah and Marie loves you two."

"I suppose that makes sense." Nena contributed.

"My little girl. I'm just glad you're safe." Sergei gently enveloped Marie, or was it Soma? "But how do you prefer to be called, dear?" He asked while passing his hand through her hair.

"Whatever makes you feel more comfortable, father. I expect Allelujah will call me 'Marie' and you two will keep calling me 'Soma'. Both work for me."

Nena said 'SoMarie' on the background softly to no one in particular, while tossing some strange and awkward gang sign, then looked at both the 'bears' and Alellujah in turn. "So you ain't killing Al anymore, right pops?"

From the safety of her father's embrace Soma directed an angered stare at Nena for reminding Sergei of his murderous intent. Thankfully, his rage didn't surface again. "I guess I can't when that'll make my daughter sad." He lamented.

"Don't think of it as losing a daughter, think of it as gaining a son. Believe me, these two will be together for the long run."

"I swear on my life that it is so." Alellujah solemnly declared.

"Another son, huh?" He released Soma. "I'm no fool, Alellujah. I know why you people are fighting. And while I can't quite condone your ways I understand the need. Promise me that your intentions are what I suspect, that Celestial being intends to free mankind from A-Laws' threat of a fascist world state."

"You have my word, sir." He said, his voice and body language resolute. "I have something to request of you, though." Alellujah clenched his fists to steel his resolve. "I'd like for you to let me take Marie away from conflict, so she doesn't have to fight anymore. Let me take her away from A-Laws."

Soma turned to Alellujah in surprise, then to her father and, finally, to Nena. "Would that I could, Alellujah. Believe me, I wish I could, but it has become clear to me that I'm past the point where I can force my daughter to do what I want. The one you need to convince isn't me." Sergei directed his saddened gaze towards Soma. If Alellujah needed further approval, he had gained it from stating his intention of taking Soma away from the war.

"Alellujah..." Soma started. "I'd love to go with you, truly I would. But..." She once again looked at Nena, who lowered her gaze, understanding yet lamenting Soma's decision. Soma sharpened her gaze. "I know you want to protect me, just like my father does. But I also want to protect you, and him. And my people. My team isn't just my workmates, they're also my friends. You understand, don't you? Would you leave your people at Celestial Being for me? I mean, I don't want you to fight anymore, either." She asked.

"I..." She was right, but even so. "But that'll make us enemies! You're still working with A-Laws!"

"Well, that's-" Nena trailed off, then got cut short by Soma motioning with her open palm to leave it to her.

"We need to remain at A-Laws to gather enough information to make a case. This is an international situation and we need as much evidence as possible. We're working within A-Laws to stop A-Laws, to see firsthand what they do and how they do it. And we need to find out who's behind it all." She sentenced.

"But what if we find each other in battle? You know it'll happen!" He pleaded. Surely she didn't mean to fight him!

"Then we'll have to show the world how much of a super soldier we are, don't you think?" She smirked. "Our superior reflexes should be enough for a make-believe. And only if we're forced to, otherwise we can just ignore each other's presence in the battlefield."

"Do you approve of this, sir?!" He still pleaded, this was insane!

"I would be a hypocrite not to." Sergei said. "She also does it for the people. She's trying to correct the mistakes of the last five years, the way the world turned. Believe me when I say I don't like it, but I admire my daughter's courage." He placed a hand on Soma's shoulder.

"Trinity!" He finally turned to Nena.

She sighed out loud. "Soma, are you sure? You'd be able to stop fighting."

"And leave you without a leader? You guys won't be able to manage without me." Alellujah felt genuinely shocked at seeing Marie act like that. If there was a need for further evidence of the merged personalities, this was it. "I don't like conflict, that's true. But if I can make a difference, I want to. I was made into a soldier to be a murder puppet, but I can instead become an instrument of peace. True peace. If I rest while the world is in such a state, then I will regret it for the rest of my life."

"Marie..." He couldn't believe it. He hated the notion of letting Marie fight. But her gaze, her steel gaze made him decide that if that's what she wanted, then the least he could do was support her.

"Alellujah. I love you, and you know it. But this is something I must do. Something we both must do. Not only for peace, but to challenge what our fate was supposed to be. To honor the sacrifices made and to spit on the crimes of our creators. This is also our duty, don't you see? We can be so much more."

"I love you too. And only because I do I can..." He raised his face to the skies, trying to find the strength. "I understand. If anything, it motivates me to end this as quickly as possible."

Marie ran into Alellujah's arms and hugged him tight. He reciprocated the hug and placed the side of his face to her hair. "To think I found you, and now we have to part."

"Not for long, Alellujah. Not for long."

Nena smiled at the two lovers and then turned to look up at Sergei. If she strained her eyes she could see a droplet threaten to slide from his eye. Sergei looked at her and smiled, which Nena took as a cue to half hug him. "They grow up so fast, huh?"

"Tell me about it." He placed his hand on Nena's hair and patted her.

* * *

"You managed to find him?" Tieria asked in confirmation.

"Yep." Was Lockon's reply. "And wouldn't you know, he had a full-on family reunion of sorts. I think. Anyways, I guess we can just ask him when he returns. Thought I'd give him some space."

"I'm glad..." The purple-haired pilot of Gundam Seravee murmured to himself. While he didn't always show it, his teammates were important to him. Losing one would be a great blow both to Celestial Being and to himself. Without warning, thoughts of the former Lockon came to his mind as if to reaffirm the importance of these good news. And lost in these thoughts was when he saw it.

"It's one of the machines from team Norns." He recognized. "Perhaps if I can sneak up..."

"I can hear you, you know?" A voice he recognized was heard inside his mind, it was from one of the Norns. Employing his suit's camera zoom he noticed he was sitting on a rocky outcrop, with his back turned.

"H-how can you speak to my mind? Who are you?!" Tieria demanded.

"Why don't you come and find out?" Even without looking his face, he felt the smirk. "It's not a trap, I promise. Look around you and you'll know we're the only ones around. I'm not even riding my mobile suit."

"Tch." Tieria replied, but landed nonetheless. Placing it opposite to the violet Ahead mobile suit, he made the Seravee kneel and got out, gun in hand. "Don't move, I'm watching you." He warned the sitting man.

"Do you mind? I'm trying to relax here." Regene replied, exhasperated. Indeed, he even had a bag of cookies on his hands, which he'd place a hand in to grab a cookie from time to time. His stare was a tired deadpan. "I'm freaking eating, you imbecile, lower your damn gun." He admonished Tieria.

Perhaps taken unaware by the man's speech, he obeyed. "Who are you?" He asked again, approaching slowly.

"Regene Regetta. Pleased, I'm sure." Regene tilted his head slightly, analyzing Tieria's expression. "Or perhaps not." He smirked.

And that's when Tieria noticed. This 'Regene' person, his features. They were...

"What -are- you?" Tieria blurted.

"Wow, rude." Regene did a double take. "You talk of me as if I was a thing. Go on, take a wild guess." He stared right into Tieria's eyes, munching on a cookie.

"You look just like me..." Tieria reflected out loud.

"How many purple-haired people do you know? How many purple-haired people that look like you do you know? Who do you guess I am?" Regene asked again in a very socratic manner.

Without realizing it himself, Tieria came closer to Regene. "You're my...twin?"

"Ding, ding, ding!" Regene clapped with cookie bag in hand, the metallic sound making the applause louder. "Give this man a cookie!" He turned to the bag in his hands. "Huh, I guess I'm the one with the prizes, want a cookie?" He offered.

"How is that possible?!" Startled, Tieria trained the gun on Regene again. "Answer me!"

Regene reacted by placing his most intimidating stare on his face. "Put. The gun. Away. And sit down." He warned yet again. Surprisingly, it worked, and Tieria lowered the weapon slowly, his eyes terrified. "SIT DOWN!" He yelled his order, and Tieria jumped a bit then holstered the gun. Still munching on cookies, he kept his stare intensely piercing Tieria's eyes. "See, right now I'm a bit pissed off. You'll have to forgive my short fuse." He reminisced his interaction with Ribbons a few moments ago, ordering him to go back as soon as possible. For what, he couldn't say. But nonetheless it was both worrysome and infuriating. He had half a mind to simply disobey for the first time.

Perhaps cowed by Regene's presence, Tieria tried again, much more passively. "Please, answer me. How is it possible that we're twins?"

"I think I told you to sit down." Regene drily remarked. Tieria obediently sat on the rocky ground in front of Regene with his gaze never leaving the other man's. "Good. You do know where you come from, right?" When Tieria nodded, Regene nodded back in acknowledgement. "Very well. You see, Veda didn't break the mold when it made you. So that answers the 'how's it possible'. As for the 'why', only Veda knows. Perhaps it wanted backups because it made pretty much all of us in pairs."

"Us? There's more like us?" Tieria's eyes went wide.

"Yes, Tieria, there's more. Surprised to know that you're not all alone in the world?" He retorically asked. "And we're all here for Aeolia Schenberg's plan, too, who would've thought? The interventions four years ago? We were watching. The formation of the Earth Federation? We were there. A-Laws? Yep, we have a spoon in that soup. All for Aeolia's plan."

"Then, why am I with Celestial Being? What's the purpose?" He thought out loud.

"I don't -know-, Tieria." He confessed. "Maybe Aeolia wanted some manner of quality control. Maybe he wanted someone who didn't know jack about the rest for whatever reason. So much for that part now, though, haha!" Regene chuckled darkly, which made Tieria scrunch his face. "Look, little brother, normally I'd be all ominous telling you 'Join usssss, Tieria, leave Celestial Being behind and join the master plan!'" He said in a mocking villainous tone, making his hand into an upwards claw, then sighed. "But I'm getting tired, so tired. I don't even think it's the original plan anymore, what HE wants." He said mysteriously. "Tieria, you need to go and find out for yourself. I'm starting to think that all these divergent paths are what's needed for the actual true path to resurface. I don't know." He shrugged. "Everyday I doubt we're that much superior."

Perhaps feeling Regene's sincerity, Tieria came closer, and took a seat right next to him. "But then, what should I do, to find out? I can't see the path either. What should we do?"

Regene turned to look at his twin. "There's no 'we', Tieria." He rejected him. "If you're smart, you'll understand why. You must go do your thing, and I'll have to do mine."

Tieria looked right ahead. The sun was starting to set and looking at the horizon he did understand. "Yes. Yes, you're right. There's things you can do and things I can do."

Stretching, Regene moved to conclude. "Well then! I'm glad we had this little chat." He patted Tieria's leg, then got up. "Be on the lookout, brother. Things are getting rather complicated, but the one advice I can give you is that you must analyze everything. That's what we were made for, after all."

"Even if it's the first time we talk, I feel like I know you. I can't quite explain it." Tieria confessed.

"Well, we do have a sort of connection through our quantum brain waves, actually. It has quite the range, so give it a shot sometime. I'll answer if you call. Later." He waved his hand and walked towards his Ahead, while leaving Tieria behind.

* * *

So, biggest chapter yet. I'm worried about perhaps some of you judging Soma's warming up to Andrei to be way too fast but I hope I managed to justify it properly enough on the talk they had. If anything, I'd probably add as a note that it also owes it to the fact that Soma's kind of new at this family thing and it excites her to have a brother. Nena's influence, I guess.

Anyways, as always, your comments, criticisms and whatever you wanna tell me are very welcome. Also, I might not be able to make it for next week's chapter, because y'know, real life. Maybe that's also why this chapter was longer. Maybe I'll drop you guys some intermission thingie to tide you over, we'll see. Alrighty then, see ya later, everyone!


	21. Creeping Past

Alright, as I mentioned on last chapter, had to take two weeks to write this one. Not only is it shorter, I also had way less time overall to do it. I'm really getting very busy and I'll prolly have to make the chapters bi-weekly from now on until my schedule normalizes. But be sure that I'll keep on this, don't be concerned about that.

Hopefully only the size suffered from the tighter schedule and not the quality. I'd also like to add a fair warning for copious amounts of cursing at the end of the chapter, so you've been warned. Please, enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 18 - Creeping Past**

"Welcome back, Lieutenant." Soma was greeted by Kati once she arrived with her father and Nena at the battleship they called home while they were on-duty. The crews cheered on the background, many of them were people Kati had brought from her base at the A.E.U. and knew Soma from back when she used to visit Nena and the others. They were very glad she was ok.

"Soma Smirnoff, reporting for duty, ma'am!" Soma saluted, then smiled. "You know I can't quite leave my team to their designs, after all. I won't fall so easily."

"Indeed. God only knows what would happen with Nena on the loose." Kati smirked and joked at Nena's expense. 'Hey, I'm right here!' could be heard on the background, on Nena's voice. "And Colonel Smirnoff, I'm glad to see you again. Have you fared well?" Kati saluted Sergei, then extended her hand in greeting.

"I have, Colonel Mannequin. And now that my daughter is safe, I'm even better." He shook her hand back. "And while I'd love to stay, I'm afraid my departure was rather abrupt and outside of protocol. I need to return anon." As he was preparing to say his goodbyes, a figure started running towards them, a figure he recognized...

"Lieutenant Smirnoff!" Andrei came running and bent with his hands on his knees to recover some air. "Y-you're alright!"

"Easy there, Andrei." Soma took his arm and placed a hand on his back. "I'm back and safe. I heard you worried about me?"

"Well, yes! I mean, you protected me, how could I not be? B-besides, you're my..." He raised his head and trailed off once he saw the man by her side. "Father? What are you doing here?"

"Andrei, it's been a while. I trust you've been ok?" Sergei smiled warmly, despite their strained relationship, he always loved his son dearly. If anything, the only one angry at the other was just Andrei. Sergei would always try to make things better, to no avail.

Kati grabbed Nena's elbow and gently prodded her to leave the Smirnoffs alone. "I do believe that's our queue, Nena." The redhead allowed Kati to take her away, tossing a thumbs up of support at Soma.

* * *

The middle-eastern Innovator base looked exactly like Regene left it. It had come as a surprise when Ribbons told him he'd see Regene here, instead of just conducting their meeting through videocall, as they were wont to do. Deep inside Regene had a bad feeling about it.

Knocking on Ribbons' quarters in the base, he waited for the invitation to come in. "Who is it?" He heard Ribbons' voice from behind the door.

"It's me, Ribbons. I have come at your command." Regene replied, then opened the door and entered. The first thing he noticed once inside the room was how Ribbons was apparently escorted by one of the other innovades. Yet what shocked him momentarily was his face, a memory of someone he reluctantly had let inside whatever innovades called heart. Looking back at him was Anew's face, but in a more androgynous body. Of course, this wasn't Anew at all, anyways.

He bowed to Ribbons in greeting. "Greetings, Ribbons. What is your bidding?" He said with all the acting skills he had learned by being with humans.

"Regene Regetta. It had been much too long. I trust you have been keeping an eye on our interests while acting with A-Laws?" Ribbons asked, full knowing what Regene had been up to.

"Indeed. Their missions proceed without a hitch, although Celestial Being has become a liability. But I can imagine that being also part of your plan." Regene replied while still bowing, his eyes closed.

"Their resistance makes the plan be that much more interesting, don't you think?" Ribbons smirked, his hands clasped on his chest. "And it justifies the funding A-Laws receives from the federation. Truly, it's win-win for us."

"It's all according to plan, then." Regene confirmed. Then thought of a little chink he could pierce in Ribbons confidence, as he finally rose from the bow. "Even the twin drive, I hope?"

To Regene's credit he didn't even change his expression once he felt Ribbons scowl and grit his teeth at the mention of the twin drive. "That is irrelevant. And now even more, with the new mobile suit we have prepared." Ribbons recovered his confidence quickly, as if Regene hadn't mentioned the accursed twin drive. "Ah! That reminds me. Allow me to introduce Revive Revival." He opened his palm up and addressed his other subordinate in the room.

"It's a pleasure, Regene Regetta. I have heard great things about you, how you're quite the accomplished pilot. I can only imagine how much are the humans in your team pulling you down." Despite the words, Revive talked to Regene in a condescending manner.

But what surprised Regene was how the seething animosity he immediately felt towards Revive was not because of what he implied about his skill, but because of what he implied towards the Norns. With all his might he refused to even acknowledge the word, the phrase that had come to his mind. Something about comrades. "I manage somehow." He replied.

"He's the pilot of the aforementioned new mobile suit, the Gadessa. While I enjoy how Celestial Being gallantly struggles, I do believe it's time we start picking on them more, ah, seriously." Ribbons informed the purple haired innovade, his words dripping with arrogance. "I'd like for you to take Revive with you back to the A-Laws battleship. It should be about time that Lindt comes up with their location. You'd do that for me, wouldn't you, Regene?" He smiled calmly.

"Of course. It's my pleasure." Regene replied.

"Well then! Revive, my child, do get prepared with your Gadessa to depart soon. I still have some matters to attend with Regene." Ribbons turned towards Revive and motioned to the outside of the room with the orders.

"As you command, Ribbons." Revive bowed, and exited the room, all the while looking with an arrogant smirk at Regene.

Once the lilac-haired innovade was out, Ribbons continued. "The next move has already been decided, Regene. Our grasp in the world is firm, yet still not quite steel-clad. If we mean to tighten our vice-grip, we'll need to prod it. Perhaps not as subtly as I'd like but it will do."

"You mean 'Memento Mori'? You mentioned it on your summons."

"Yes, 'Memento Mori'. Such a beautiful device, but like all other things, it's just one more tool in the plan. Like all of us."

"All in the name of the dialogues to come."

* * *

"Ah, Halevy." Kati noticed the blonde's presence on the way to her office. She was apparently supervising the maintenance on her mobile suit, and that made her realize how dedicated she was now to their goals. "Please come with us." The Colonel ordered her, referring to her and her current escort, Nena.

"Yes, ma'am! A second, please." Louise quickly saluted Kati, then turned to the crews one last time. "The plates are feeling a bit heavy, please ask Riya about some sort of solution. And my left blade is busted, see to that one, too." She then ran to Kati and matched her pace. "You found the Boss all safe and sound, yeah?" She asked Nena half as small talk, half as mild concern. She knew she didn't need to be worried, for Soma was very skilled and Nena very dedicated to her people.

"Yeah! Oh, I'll tell you -all- about it later, it's good gossip!" Nena heartilly informed Louise, then heard Kati clear her throat. "I can't?" Nena asked, hesitant.

"Just be careful. Most of that information is highly classified." Kati admonished her.

"Yes, mooooom..." Nena retorted, but made a mental note to obey.

Once they reached Kati's office, she moved to take a seat behind her desk, and the two Norns took both seats in front of it. Kati produced an envelope from one of her desks drawers and turned it around to hand it to Louise. "Major Lindt gave me this envelope, as an assignment handed over from HQ to you. I supose he took to heart my request of always going through me first, before giving orders to the Norns." She said in a deadpan that belied her satisfaction at having cowed Lindt.

Louise took the envelope and opened it. Nena looked at it from behind Louise's shoulder and read at the same time. Apparently, it was an invitation to some sort of party...

"Is this...proper? A party at this time? I mean, I understand not wanting to go after Celestial Being immediately but they -are- terrorists after all." Louise asked despite her deference to the Colonel.

"Frankly, I don't agree with Celestial Being's methods either but, you'll see why this is a good chance to further our goals." Kati clasped her hands and motioned with her head for Louise to keep reading.

After reading the whole invitation, she realized. "The top-echelons of A-Laws will be there. I see..." Then she opened her eyes wide, like plates. Kati supposed it was the whole realization sinking in but she didn't know that Louise had come to a very different, if related, one. Mister Ribbons was going to be there. Mister Ribbons was...

"Yes. It will be a good chance to truly realize who moves the strings. As such, I'd like for you to accept the invitation." The Colonel waited a moment for Louise to answer, then asked in worry when she noticed her still lost in thought. "Are you alright, Halevy?"

"Huh? Yes, yes! Of course, I accept. I'll go and find out what I can."

"Very well." Kati nodded. "It seems you can take someone with you so I'll assign Nena to assist you. Hopefully there's no objections, Lieutenant?" She asked the redhead, already knowing the answer.

"Hell yeah! I mean, party! How could I refuse? We get to buy dresses and stuff!" Nena replied excited, completely missing the point of the mission. Kati and Louise felt a cold sweat of embarrasment go down their foreheads at the same time.

"Just don't forget the objective, Nena." Kati found herself admonishing her once more in the same day.

"Excuse me, ma'am." Louise asked, seeking to clear soemthing that was nagging her. "But without me and Nena, won't we be undermanned? From what Major Lindt said while the search for Soma was being conducted, we're close to finding out where's Celestial Being."

"As a matter of fact, it seems there's reinforcements coming as we speak. That's why Captain Regene isn't around. We'll be fine."

"Huh, I was wondering where the purple wonder was." Nena took a moment away from her dress-up fantasies to comment.

"Indeed. Now, if you don't have any questions, that will be all. I suggest you start getting ready as soon as possible."

* * *

As they left Kati's office and walked to their respective rooms, Louise seemed distant. She darkly reflected that life would be easier if she was dumber or perhaps more disperse. Yet it fell like a bucket of ice on her shoulders. She didn't even need to go meet with Ribbons to realize it once she saw who was involved in the party. She had been used. The deaths of the innocent, of the defenseless. She had a part on that. She had been made into a tool for establishing A-Laws, her desire for revenge had been taken advantage of.

She didn't even ask, she just went with the flow. And for a moment she wondered if Mister Regene knew. She really hoped he didn't.

"Man, I wonder what kind of dress should I get? This is so exciting!" Nena chirped happily once they reached the rooms' doors in one of the hallways, then noticed Louise's distant stare. "You ok there, Lou?"

She heard Nena's voice from behind her. Turning suddenly she looked at her and also realized her friends were very few. Of the people she had met after this whole debacle had started, perhaps only Soma and Nena were her true friends. Maybe Riya, too? With her eyes wide, she took a couple steps towards Nena and without speaking, she embraced her friend. The warmth of Nena's body helped her frayed nerves somehow.

"Yaaaay, hug." Nena murmured in her typical sing-song tune. But after a moment, she grew worried. "Lou?" The redhead inquired in concern.

"Just...stay like this, please." Louise begged of Nena, resting her head on her friend's shoulder.

Nena said nothing, simply holding her tight and rubbing Louise's back.

* * *

If one asked Patrick, ever since the base had been left with the absolute minimum crew to work, it had grown deathly dull. Not content with using the federation army as errand boys for A-Laws, they were also made to wait and waste away when they weren't carrying some minor duty for them. At least sometimes they'd be called for relief duty, and helping always made him feel better.

And all that would have been tolerable were it not for the utterly incompetent replacement they had sent, to take over Colonel Mannequin's duties.  
Once he had felt like he was just being too hard on the new guy, realizing that holding him to Colonel Mannequin's standards would be an excercise in futility. But after a while he realized how right he was.

He would leave the base to its designs most of the time.

He wouldn't administrate the base properly, sometimes leaving them without resources until prodded.

He would assign double or triple duties on a whim, and leave others with nothing to do.

But worst of all, he was incredibly, utterly arrogant. As far as this new guy was concerned, he was never wrong.

Sitting on the hangar, looking at the Gundam Drei, he wondered how Nena and the Colonel were doing. He also thought of little Soma, and then of Colonel Smirnoff. At least Sergei had more control of what he'd do.

"Oi, you ever thought of maybe a mutiny?" He heard Bernie as he sat next to him, to his left. He looked for a moment to the sudden companionship, then looked back at the Drei.

"Nah, too much trouble." He replied. "Also, Colonel Mannequin asked me to help the new guy out.

"Dude, I don't think Colonel Kat knows how horrible this guy is." Will joined the two, sitting at the opposite side of Patrick, to his right. "I think he just called a girl to his office! I mean, yeah, we're all just men in the end but, come on, it's still working hours!"

"Well, it's not like we can do a lot about it. No one's even paying attention anymore. You're either A-Laws or irrelevant." Patrick darkly observed. "No one cares about what happens to us."

"That's not true. We care." Carlos suddenly said from behind the other three. They turned abruptly, almost scared. This guy was known for moving like a specter but it was easy to forget. "And if that's much of a problem we make ourselves matter."

"Alright, smarty pants." Patrick crossed his arms. "What do you suggest we do, huh?"

"Easy. You say only A-Laws matters." He reclined himself against a concrete pillar, his eyes closed. "What if we join A-Laws? They take volunteers too."

Patrick considered it for a whole two seconds, then shook his head. "But the Colonel said..."

"Dude, stop." William interrupted him, exasperated. "We know you'd die like that old japanese dog story waiting for her word, but seriously, sometimes a man has to do what a man has to do."

He sighed out loud. He did want to see Colonel Mannequin sometime soon but she had relied on him for this. "I don't know, man."

"The boss is right, though." Bernie commented. "This is our base too, after all. S'our home, and boss lady's, and everyone she took with her. How would you feel leaving it in that guy's hands? They're gonna come back and find it a smoking crater filled with crap!" He threw his arms up for emphasis.

"Damnit, Cybernie, stop making sense." Will hung his head low.

"I might have a solution for that." Carlos said, then showed a memory stick to the gathered team. "Will mentioned our 'friend' having parties in Colonel Mannequin's office. This is just a start but if we gather enough dirt, we can make it so the higher ups can't ignore it anymore."

Patrick's eyes went wide with excitement. "Carlos, you sneaky bastard! Now that's a plan!"

Perhaps noticing the ruckus, Chief Moretti approached them. "Hey there lads. I couldn't help but overhear you getting all excited about something. Planning about getting some alcohol to forget the cesspool of mediocrity we're stuck on?"

Patrick grinned at Luigi and got up to place an arm around the burlier man's shoulders. "Better, pops. We got a plan to turn this ship around and I just know you'll want a piece of the action."

* * *

Nena had been to other formal events before, mostly from when she graduated from college. While she was someone who couldn't quite behave like such occasions required, she still did enjoy the general atmosphere. Besides, the food was almost as good as back home.

"Man, hey Lou! Lou, c'mere, check these thingamajiggies! They're delicious!" She called out to Louise while the blonde was conversing with some people from the upper crust of society who seemed to know her.

Unbeknownst to Nena, Louise was glad she had called for her. As a contrast to the redhead's opinion of these events, Louise had grown weary of them after the upmteenth time she had assisted to one. The atmosphere felt stiffling to her and being able to put her friend as an excuse was like a breath of fresh air. "Well then, if you'd excuse me, I need to go check up on my escort." She graciously bowed and politely smiled. Just as she was taught.

Approaching Nena she whispered. "Ugh, thank you so much, Nen, I was getting tired of that people." She said as she smiled again at the group she had just left.

"Huh, really? They just seem like a collection of suits to me, are they that bad?" The redhead asked as she stuffed her face with the assortment of foodstuffs laid on the table.

Louise for her part picked a single one and munched thoughtfully on it. "Unfortunately after knowing what I know you realize what's under the suits and gazes with a glance. Hm, not bad." She reacted to the bite on her mouth and grabbed another.

"O'well, good thing I'm around t-whoa, look at that, on the dance floor." Nena commented as she stopped eating and stared with her eyes wide open at where a couple was dancing.

Louise turned to see the people who were dancing and there she saw...Mister Ribbons. Dancing with a beautiful purple-haired woman which she could swear she had seen before. Conflicted between the surprise of seeing the purple-haired woman and the tension at seeing Mister Ribbons, she spoke the first thing that came to her mind. "You think she's some relative of Regene?"

"Dude, that's one of the Celestial Dorks. I knew he was trappy but this is just too much!"

Louise turned fully towards Nena. Something she had said made her wonder. "You know the people in Celestial Being?"

"Uh..." Nena wasn't ready just yet to talk with Louise about what she had been up to all those years before. Even though she planned on talking with her about her past she felt like right now wasn't the moment. "Yeah, they have their files on the military after all. Kinda top-secret but it pays to be part of a colonel's family. Sorta."

"Oh." Louise thought on it, then decided it made sense. "Yeah, I guess." She then turned to see at the gir-, 'girl', again. "Hmmm, well I guess they're rather dedicated."

As the music came to a stop, Ribbons grabbed the woman's hand gently and walked with her to some other part of the building, and another piece begun. Some couples returned to the dance floor and to Louise's surprise, a man she knew well appeared in front of her. "Miss Halevy, you look radiant tonight." Regene said with about half as much charm as such a line would carry.

"Mister Regetta, what are you doing here?" She looked at him with her brow furrowed.

"Huh, purple. You look almost gallant, not bad." Nena didn't miss her chance to tease him."

"I could say the same to you, Trinity." He retorted with a half-glance. "Now, I hope you don't mind if I ask for you to dance with me, Miss Halevy?" He did a half-bow and extended his hand towards her.

While the redhead did a double take and remained shocked by the request, Louise simply took it in stride after seeing his expression. It appeared like he wanted to talk. "Gladly, Mister Regetta."

Walking hand in hand, they left Nena at the buffet table, while she stared at them flabbergasted. "W-what the heckles just happened?!"

* * *

The couples around danced with skill and grace. The half-lit ambience would be just what's needed for any couple of lovers to fall even deeper in love, or for stranged partners to reconnect. Yet what Regene and Louise did was something akin to a meeting in the form of dance. Sharp, well executed steps belied the tension between the two. They both somehow knew what the other had to say.

"I suppose you're wondering if I knew." He started. "I wonder if you'd believe me that I did, yet didn't know the rest."

She swirled around on his cue and tilted her head slightly. "Do enlighten me. I at the very least owe you that much. Even if you did use me to establish your little private army."

He smirked. "True enough. You see, at the beginning I did know what was supposed to happen with your support. I knew we were going to join humanity together with our plan." He delicately yet sharply twirled her around in a beautiful half circle, which she skillfully followed. "Yet, just as the branch doesn't know what the trunk touches, I didn't know the depths or the consequences of what our dear friend was doing. I wonder if you'd believe that."

She knew he meant Ribbons. And if she was honest he could have just left her once he saw she was already surrounded by skilled pilots. Like Soma and Nena. Yet he stayed for some reason, why? "WHy would you remain, then? Why continue if you didn't agree?"

"I threw my chips in with you three. I thought of helping you guys help me. I know what you mean to accomplish and perhaps..." He hesitated in his mind but not on his step. "Perhaps it's what's needed for the true goal to be reached."

She sharpened her gaze at him. "Which is?"

"Something will come, someday. What? I don't know. Yet that day, if humanity doesn't stand as one, we could lose everything. Us. Your people. Everyone." He ominously declared. In a moment where he didn't quite know and would never be able to be thankful for, he had managed to reveal a tidbit of very important information while Ribbons had been distracted. "All that has happened was with that in mind yet our friend seems to have other ideas."

Louise abandoned herself to the practiced steps to think. It was quite a bit to take in, after all. Deep in reflection while they both moved, she remained silent, with Regene patiently waiting for her to say something.

She finally judged him. "Somehow I feel like you're not lying."

"That's because I'm not."

"Then...what now?" She gazed into his eyes with a worried look, as if trying to figure it out.

"Now we see how many 'wrenches' can be tossed into his plan's 'machine'. Our team, and the 'Celestial Being' team, and the Federation regular army. There's a lot of pieces moving on the board and he knows about each and every one of them. He thinks himself invincible, and maybe he is. But perhaps one of the actors I mentioned or one we don't know of could be the so-called 'spanner in the works'"

"And you would help?"

"That's another thing I wanted to tell you." His gaze grew dark. "I feel like he somehow knows more than everything. Somehow he watches, and I wish it was merely paranoia. Yet he knows things he shouldn't. Why? I would rather remain on the sidelines while I find out." He stared right into her eyes, and she saw an expression she had never seen in Mister Regetta. Worry. "Louise, you must keep me on the perimeter of things. Do not let me know. Just call me when we sortie. I have taken a great risk at telling you this right here, right now. But I can only hope the gambit pays. Tell them when you can. And press on." They slowly came to a stop and remained like that for a few.

As he saw Nena approach and Louise keep staring at him, he took on an entirely different and neutral demanor, as if they had said nothing while they danced. "Now, Miss Halevy. If you'd excuse me, I need to go attend Master Ribbons. It was a delightful dance, I thank you."

"And I you, Mister Regetta." She curtsied at him and then turned to the redhead who was on them now. "Nena, do you mind accompanying me to catch some fresh air?"

"Uh, yeah, sure." She looked at Regene walking away, then back at Louise. "What was that all about?" She murmured.

"I'll tell you later. For now, I need some air for real." She half smiled at Nena and grabbed her arm, directing her to the garden as they walked.

* * *

As they reached the outer garden, Louise noticed someone else nearby. A guy about her age, with dark, messy hair and tan skin. This guy...wasn't he Saji's neighbour? "Excuse me for a second, Nena."

It appeared like Nena hadn't seen him so she just nodded. "I'll be at the fountain waiting for you."

As Nena reached the fountain she sat, and looked up at the stars. She felt like those two had said something very important, yet she'd have to be patient to know what. Were things getting out of hand soon? In a very unladylike manner she spread her legs while sitting and leaned forward, with her elbows on her knees and her arms pointing outwards. With her hands downwards she supposed it would be enough to cover her decency, so she didn't think further than that. And then she thought.

Celestial Being. She'd have to tell Louise someday. She had been part of the interventions back then, and apparently, the interventions had costed Louise her family somehow. A lot of people died back then, she supposed. She could only wonder who had done it.  
A piece of her mind she didn't quite pay attention to nagged inside her mind that it could have been those at Spain. Remaining on the back of her mind she didn't even reflect consciously about it, perhaps as a defense mechanism. The implications would be too much to bear.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" A female voice called out to Nena and she raised her eyes. The woman seemed familiar, yet she couldn't remember who she was. "Go ahead." She motioned with her hand for the woman to sit.

"Seems you've been well, Nena Trinity. I hear you joined A-Laws?" The lady decided to throw her an immediate curve ball, and Nena turned to look at her more closely.

"Where...where do you know me from?" She inquired.

"Ah, yes, perhaps we didn't talk that much back then. Maybe reintroductions are in order: My name is Wang-Liu Mei. A pleasure." She extended her hand in greeting.

Wang-Liu Mei. Now she remembered, this lady had aided Celestial Being with funding, planning and other administrative duties. "Oh yeah, that rich lady."

She chuckled. "Well, I suppose that's one way of remembering me."

Nena recalled the question. "Yeah, I've been busy lately. Gotta pay the tab someday." She shrugged. "After all, we all knew what would happen if we got caught. No support from the others so we'd have to manage."

"Oh I don't hold it against you." She reassured Nena. "In a way, you're still doing the work you were before. To keep the changes so dearly paid for."

"I guess."

"Have you thought of rejoining some day?" Wang-Liu Mei asked. In a way, this would help her figure out what were the former operative's intentions and perhaps obtain a new agent for herself.

Nena smiled at that a sad smile while looking to the ground. "I don't think that'd be good for me anymore. All I can hope for now is that we can keep the peace, somehow. It feels like the world is spinning out of control."

"Alas, what a shame." She smiled at Nena, then motioned with her hand to her attendant, that guy who was always close to her but somehow you couldn't see until he was almost in front of you. "If you change your mind, do contact me, yes?" She said as the attendant extended a card towards Nena.

She took it and gave it a read. Seemed like your typical business card. "Yeah, I'll kee-" A strangled scream of pain called for her attention, and a split second later she realized it belonged to Louise. "Shit!"

"Go ahead, do not let me keep you." Wang-Liu Mei waved at her to leave.

"Sorry. See you around!" She said quickly then ran to the source of the scream.

* * *

She found her sitting on the ground, grabbing her head. Apparently her headaches were back despite her progress. "Lou, what happened?" She asked while looking inside Louise's bag for the pills, which she quickly found.

"I don't know, we were just talking and...AGH!" She tried, then felt another stab on her brain. Why was this happening? She hadn't lost her calm or anything of the sort, why now?! She felt the pills enter her mouth and swallowed. Hopefully it'd make it better soon. Then she recalled something. "Nena, you need to go after him, the purple-haired guy wasn't the only one here! I don't know what they're up to but we need to make sure it isn't anything rash!"

"Another one? Where did he go?" The redhead looked at Louise inquisitively. At least it seemed the pain was quickly subsiding.

"To his Gundam, I bet." Louise guessed. "You should go grab your Ahead and pursue." They had thankfully brought their machines, which at first she thought excessive but now realized how fortunate it was.

"Will you be ok?" Nena asked, worried.

"Yeah, I'll be right after you soon, go!" She waved at Nena and saw her scramble away towards where the machines were.

* * *

She didn't even have time to change, she just went ahead and climbed her Ahead. Starting up the machine quickly, she put attention to the skies and noticed the distinctive trail of green GN particles to the east. "There you are, guys. What the hell are you thinking?" The Ahead Pike started rising up into the sky. "Don't make me fight you, you idiots."

Setting her machine's speed to the top she pursued. They were far away yet not enough to be unreachable. As she got closer she saw sparks and beams fly around and grew more and more concerned. Who were they fighting? Had they perhaps chosen that party to take as many A-Laws leaders as possible or something? Had it gone wrong and were they now on the run?"

She saw the Twin Drive there, and Not-Virtue. The battle was apparently rather fierce. And then she saw their enemy...

That suit. They had modified it somehow but she could recognize it anywhere. The sword too, it was quite the distinctive design after all. And the GN Fangs attack. It was one of his signatures after all.

It was Michael's suit and she knew exactly who was piloting it.

"Hahahaha!" Ali Al-Saachez laughed. These dumb kids knew nothing yet they fought so valiantly. Like lambs rushing at a wolf they went. And he'd be happy to obligue. "What's wrong, getting tired? Give me some fun, come on! COME ON!"

"Argh!" Tieria screamed as his suit received the full brunt of the Gn Fangs' assault. "He's too powerful! But It won't end here, I need to avenge him! For Lockon!"

"Tieria, be careful!" He heard over the comms from Setsuna but too late did he notice the kick that came for him. As he scrambled to recover he saw something he didn't expect.

Another crimson suit had apparently joined the fray, and it was one of the Norns. The red one was the sniper yet they had managed to come into melee range. Then he heard the voice.

"It's you, you piece of shit, bastard! I'll make you pay!" Nena's scream raged on the area's communication's channel. Both Celestial Being memebers recognized her. Tieria wondered, Trinity had joined A-Laws? "I'll kill you! I'LL KILL YOU!"

Taken by surprise, Ali had to pull back and dodge the point-blank bullet barrages. "Whoa, hey there! I think I know that voice!" He teased her, amused. "Some girl I didn't leave the money for? Man, they're now getting on mobile suits to charge!"

"Shut up, damn you! Shut up and DIE!" She screamed again. It had been funny, in a way. Feelings that had remained buried for a while, after a few years of peace. Of love and family. Of friends and a newfound dedication to righting her past wrongs. All that forgotten once this guy appeared.

"No way! Dude, is that you? Girlie, it's been a while!" He finally recognized the voice, the Trinity girl. So she had survived, not bad. "How've you been? Training I hope?" He dodged once again and put some distance between them. As if playing with a raging kitten.

Her gaze began to lose focus to her rage. Vengeance was at hand and to be grasped. He'd pay right here, right now. "That's Michael's suit, give it back!" She demanded, while she tossed ahead the plasma saber as a rotating blade then, without quite thinking, used her rifle to spray the GN particles from the attack around Ali's position.

"Whoa, you have been practicing! Nice m-what?" He dodged the spray, yet it became too spread to evade it all. Fortunately for him he only caught a small part of the attack. "Girlie, be careful or I might angry. You won't like that."

"Give it back!" She demanded again. Closing in with blinding speed she let loose another machinegun barrage.

"Damnit, kid, stop that shit or I'll kill you right here!"

By this time she didn't know if she meant the suit or her past life anymore. She kept screaming. "GIVE IT BACK!"

"Don't say I didn't warn you, you bitch." He readied the humongous sword and prepared to stab her and split her apart.

"GIVE THEM BAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!" She charged ahead once she saw the bastard charge as well. Without quite thinking, she shot and he dodged skillfully, only to see her suit be pierced through.

"There, you fucking crazy bitch." He said, tired. "You sure gave me a run for my money but it's time to say hi to your stupid brothers. Now d-what, damnit! Let go, you idiot!" As he motioned to remove his sword from the enemy suit's body, he noticed she had grabbed the blade by its handle and gripped it with all of the machine's power.

Inside of the Ahead Efreet's cockpit sparks flew. Some of the sparks hit Nena, and a few injured her eye. Without even registering the pain she closed her quickly bleeding eye and yelled once more, with less strength. "G-give it back. It's Michael's. G-give it..."

"Fuck, fine! You want it? Keep the stupid sword!" He finally relented once he saw the other Celestial What'chamacallits approach. "I'm skilled but even I know four is too many." Releasing the blade and leaving it stuck on the Ahead's body he flew away. "Be sure to thank the girlie, she bought you bozos enough time to survive! Laters!"

The machine began powering down from the damage. Floating in place it descended ever so slowly. And inside the cockpit, its pilot also kept receiving damage from the sparks around it. Her bleeding eye and her death grip on the controls the only signs of life.

"Give them...back. Give them..."

* * *

Awsh-What's gonna happen to Nena?! Once again she got very damaged. And Patrick's back with his own side-story! And what could Regene be planning? Will he discover the backdoor Ribbons put on them innovades? Will Sergei prepare some stroganoff for his kids?! WHY AM I SCREAMING?!

The answer to that and many more questions shall come in the future. Again, I apologize beforehand if i don't quite make it for the next week, I'm doing my best. Also, ten points to whoever guesses where did that attack Nena performed with the rotating blade and the sniper rifle come from! Than you very much for your reviews and for your reads! I'll see you next time, take care!


	22. World's Flow

As we reach more and more into the canon events of the series, some events will start changing, some will remain the same. But this is one of the last chapters that follows too closely. Even if some things remain the same, soon enough will things start spiraling out and some conversations and realizations that character make in this chapter will have heavy consequences in the future. You'll realize which, I'm sure.

Also, I'm sorry, jhud! I'm afraid it's not from either of those series. Nena used Zeta Gundam's Kamille Bidan's "Beam Confuse" to try and get Ali down. Too bad it didn't work...

Well, here we go with this week's chapter! As I mentioned before, the estimated delivery time will remain at two weeks now, I'm afraid. But this one's a big chapter so hopefully it sates you enough. On with the show!

* * *

**Chapter 19 - World's flow**

Nena could hear distant sounds, as if coming through a filter. Bright light and voices mixed with horizontal movement, and a part of her mind told her she was being transported on a hospital bed. She tried opening her eyes but one of them just didn't comply, and she saw Louise's worried face running by the bed's side. The ship's doctor's presence told her she was most likely on the Guyana-class. To the left, Andreas was also running, talking with someone else in the procession. And she just couldn't move. Try as she might her body simply didn't respond. But why was she here?

She tried remembering. Oh right, she found -that- guy and lost her cool. She went ballistic and nearly lost her life because of that, she couldn't even laugh at the stupidity she showed, nothing but her one eye was allowed to move. A sigh escaped her mouth and both Louise and Andreas turned to look at her immediately.

"Doctor, she seems to be reacting!" She heard Lou's voice.

"It'll be fine, 'finchie'. It's all gonna be alright." She heard Andy's voice as well, and she wondered if he was trying to reassure her or himself.

"I'm sorry, you two, but I'm gonna need you to leave her care to me now. Please wait outside of the room." The doctor ordered both Lou and Andy, and she felt the bed stop once they entered what she supposed was one of the medical bay's rooms.

"We'll need you to sleep for a few so hang in there for a while." As a mask was placed over her nose, she heard the doctor talk to her and then everything went black.

* * *

"How horrible..." Soma exclaimed in fear and concern at seeing the state the Ahead Efreet was. Impaled by the sword and not exploding by the mercy of randomness, she wondered how had Nena managed to survive. She was utterly thankful that her dear friend was still among them, but she couldn't help but worry about her state. Indeed, only luck had managed to keep her alive.

By her side, Riya was completely silent, staring at the machine as well, the green Haro "Vana" on her arms.

"It's her late brother's sword, I think." Soma shared thoughtlessly, then a moment after she realized what she had said. Had Nena told her other friends about her past? She hoped that was the case or that Riya questioned her no further. Thinking quickly she hoped she could come up with a divertion. "Do you think the suit is salvageable?"

"Absolutely." Riya replied immediately. She fell silent once again, then spoke once more. "The sword's that important huh?" She asked without looking at Soma.

The silver-haired woman hesitated for a second, looking at Riya. "Uh...y-yes. Yes, it is, I believe."

"The long gun. Is it also her brother's?" She asked again, still looking at the crimson, ruined Ahead.

She didn't reply immediately. Second guessing herself, she wondered what she should say, yet Riya talked again before she could come up with a reply.

"I'll repair it, somehow. I'll get it ready so she doesn't have to lose anything else." She hugged Vana even tighter and frowned.

Soma smiled at that. She was worrying about nothing. Probably. She decided it'd be better to leave it at that and trust Riya, she knew the girl also loved Nena very much.

"Thank you, Riya. I'll leave it to you. I need to go speak with Colonel Mannequin now."

Riya nodded absentmindedly and was left by Soma, still staring at the Ahead. Unbeknownst to Soma she had checked the mobile suit's feed while diagnosing its state and she had heard what Nena screamed while fighting. While not knowing the whole story, she still felt her friend's pain. She murmured what haunted her the most.

"Give them back..."

* * *

Worry. That was what threatened to engulf Kati as she conducted the meeting with Major Lindt, the newly arrived Captain Revival and Captain Regetta. How could she not, when Nena was in the medical bay? She was sure the doctor would be able to keep her away from the brink of death she arrived in, but how would she end up? She didn't even care if she couldn't fight anymore. If anything, she only worried that'd make Nena miserable. She knew how much the redhead liked taking to the skies.

"Colonel? What's your decision?" She heard Major Lindt call for her, and her reverie was suddenly broken. Truly, this was unbecoming of her. Worrying wouldn't heal Nena.

"Oh, my apologies. Please run that by me, again." She didn't notice Regene's stare, and she would've been unable to decipher it, nor Revive's permanent arrogant gaze.

"Very well." Lindt raised an eyebrow, but figured it was about Norn 2's condition. "We have managed to find Celestial Being's location, thanks to the general direction they were heading towards after Norn 2 and Norn 4 engaged them. We assume they're going to attempt to leave the planet and recover from their recent losses at space. While we're undermanned from Norn 2's condition, Captain Revival here should be able to round up our forces once again. I suggest we conduct an attack promptly, before they manage to depart." He finished talking and looked at Kati, expectant.

Putting her worries to the side for the moment, she placed a hand on her chin, deep in thought. While they could certainly attack before they departed, she judged they'd be even more vulnerable if they managed to catch them while occupied with leaving Earth's gravity. If they attacked they'd only delay their departure and, despite suffering defeats, those weren't significant enough to warrant confidence. They were fully manned, too, and then there was the Trans-Am system...

"I think we should strike them right as they leave, instead." She decided.

Aber Lindt turned his head to the side in disapproval, a frown in his eyes. "You'd suggest something that has great risk of them escaping, Colonel?"

"There's risk whether we attack or whether we let them leave. I believe the risk would be lower if we choose the latter."

"Ludicrous. While they're sitting ducks they'd be more vulnerable."

Regene spoke out in support to Mannequin. "Their sitting ducks status is up for discussion, Major. Our recent experience has shown so." He raised an eyebrow when Lindt directed a murderous yet resignated stare at him. "That still leaves the strategy left, though. How would we strike at them?"

At this, Revive took his turn. "I was actually discussing this with Colonel Mannequin right after we arrived, Captain. We thought of a plan where we'd actually encourage them to leave, just in our terms. And once they left the atmosphere, well." He smirked as he looked at Regene. "Let's just say my Gadessa would have just the tool for fishing the metal whale, so to speak."

"Indeed." Kati confirmed, while placing her clasped hands on the desk. "I believe that's the best course of action, all things considered. And since Captain Revival has offered his full support we should be ready to conduct the operation in about 6 hours. Does anyone object?"

A clicking of the tongue could be heard from Lindt's direction.

"Excellent. Then we shall conduct a briefing in an hour and begin preparations. That is all for now, gentlemen."

* * *

Louise remained outside of the room where they were healing Nena. While this time she knew it wasn't quite her fault, she still regreted it. If only she hadn't suffered that headache. If only she had hurried a little bit more. Maybe Nena wouldn't be in this situation if she had gotten there earlier. Yet she knew, it probably wuoldn't have made any difference. She recalled what happened.

* * *

She recalled how, as she reached the battle area, the orange Gundam was holding the red Ahead in its arms. She only managed to keep her wits about her from how it didn't seem like they were holding Nena captive, nor did it seem like they were moving to attack. She also mentally thanked Riya for her suggestions for whenever she felt like rage would overcome her.

"Celestial Being!" She started. "Hand over my comrade, immediately! Comply, and I'll overlook your presence here." While it seemed like they were already doing her a favor by keeping her friend in the air, she knew she had to keep the act up. She could only hope they'd think of the same and play along. If that wasn't possible then she supposed she could try and see of a different way, appearances be damned.

"Calm down, A-Laws, we have no intention to harm your comrade any further. Feel free to take her." The white-and-black Gundam's pilot assured her, as she saw it being kept afloat as well, but by the twin-drive Gundam. Once he said that, the orange one started approaching carefully, both to not show anything that could be interpreted as hostile and to be careful with the suit that was breaking apart as time passed.

Closing all communications but to the immediate area, she spoke again, once the Ahead Efreet was being placed on her suit's arms. "Thank you." She said, much to her own surprise. "I...I won't forget this favor you have done to us."

Setsuna knew from the moment she had started speaking who she was, and so he talked. "I can tell, Louise Halevy. I can tell your struggle is different and that your team is trying something. Go and make your comrade recover. I somehow feel that even without this event, you'd do the same for us."

"Perhaps." She replied, while setting Nena's Ahead carefully over hers.

"Even in war, between enemies, honor and dignity can be maintained." She heard from the white-and-black Gundam's pilot. "Such has been in the past and we understand it. And now, we leave." He declared, and both him and the twin drive motioned to leave.

She heard another voice, from the orange Gundam's pilot this time. "Please, give my regards to Lieutenant Soma Smirnoff for me." He made the Gundam to bow its head at her. "I hope Lieutenant Trinity makes a full recovery." He continued, then tranformed his Gundam to follow his comrades.

For a moment, she remained there. It was funny, in a terrible way. Had she remained in her former state of mind, the one she had in the past, the mere mention of these people would have made her scream bloody murder. As she had reflected many times before, her friends had been her salvation in more than one way.

Quickly she realized she shouldn't dally any further, and put her mobile suit to full speed. She needed to get Nena to safety, and fast.

* * *

She got taken out of her recalling by the aroma of a coffee cup being placed in front of her face. She looked up and saw Andreas holding it and another one, she supposed for himself.

"Thank you." She took the offered coffee, and blew on the cup's top.

"Anything new?" He asked as he moved his white labcoat to better sit down by her side, his cup of coffee in hand.

"Nothing yet." She replied and took a sip of the coffee. Its bitter taste made her brain react and its warmth made her muscles relax a bit. "They've been in there for a while now..."

"I heard from Colonel Mannequin that we're moving soon. They got a plan to take down Celestial Being."

"I see." She smirked, but with a sadenned, distant gaze. Right after helping her out she'd have to attack them. She just hoped they wouldn't hold it against her. "How soon?"

"In about five hours, she said. You guys got a briefing very soon."

"Right..." She nodded in resignation.

"I'll look after Nena for both of us." He placed a hand on Louise's shoulder.

"Yeah, thanks, Andy." She raised her head ever slightly, to smile at him in thanks.

"She's a tough girl, she'll be up and about by the time you guys come back, I bet."

"Heh, first time she said last time something like this happened she was all like 'you guys are heavy!' and stuff." She chuckled at the memory.

"Man. We really gotta scold her once she's up. We'll have to ask Soma to make her most serious face." He smiled a bit, too, at hearing the shared memory.

She nodded, took a last gulp from the cup, then tossed it into the nearby trash bin. "Well then, I guess I shouldn't keep them waiting. Gotta work harder in her stead."

* * *

"A moment of your time if you would, Regene." Revive called out to Regene when he saw him approach the Ahead Hoplite. Regene closed his eyes in exasperation, even though he knew that as arrogant as Revive was, his dislike was born out of having the same face as her. As Anew.

He changed his face into a neutral one and turned around. "How may I help you, Revive?"

"Oh, it's not much, we still have sometime before the battle starts and was wondering if you had any suggestions for me, any advice. As my superior and elder I hoped that was the case."

"You should be suited enough for the task at hand, Revive. I'm sure you'll have absolutely no problem with it." Regene replied half matter-of-factly, half unwilling to engage in conversation. He turned around and resumed his walk.

"I have it from a good source that you used to advise our brethren. Why, I can even feel it in my bond with little Anew. Something about...cookies?" Revive smirked maliciously while Regene was turned around, enjoying the effect that he was so sure he was having on Regene, even if the purple-haired innovade didn't allow himself to show.

Regene stopped in his tracks. How did he even k-

He lowered his gaze in realization and closed his eyes afterwards with a smile of resignation. He supposed there were cameras around, it was very possible that's how they learned. He wondered if it had started then and they had decided he was worth keeping an eye on closely. He turned around and kept the act. "Of course. It's just that you're so admirable that there's nothing occuring to me to advise you." He motioned with his upward open palm in explanation.

"Indeed. I suppose I did spend quite a healthy time on the simulator." He had already changed his smile into a charming one once Regene had turned. After saying his piece he started walking towards the Gadessa, satisfied for the time being from tossing a piercing barb at his fellow innovade. "Well then, if that's your evaluation then I won't take any more of your time. Sorry to have interrupted you."

"Certainly." Regene remained rooted to his spot and let Revive walk away. For a moment he thought of Anew, again. He wondered how she was doing. He wondered if their interactions had also meant something negative for her, then reflected that being on the enemy's very base meant she was probably subject to the same vigilance as he was, perhaps even more. He'd do such a thing in their place, after all.

He decided his time would be better spent elsewhere and resumed his path to the Hoplite.

* * *

The mood between the three remaining Norns was rather somber. While everyone was in stand-by to commence the mission, the Norns simply remained silent, waiting for the mission's starting time to arrive. They'd normally hear Nena bickering with Regene, or teasing Louise. Or chatting it up with Soma.

They knew but noticed it even more that it was usually the redhead that kept the team together. Not that they disliked each other without her. When Soma had disappeared or when Louise was under her panic attacks, they'd stay together, worry about each other. But now they were silent. Even though they knew Nena would be fine in the end, the somber atmosphere remained.

"All teams, commence mission." They heard over the comms in Colonel Mannequin's voice. They moved to begin without a word.

"So our job is to simply motivate them to leave." Louise thought to herself. It suited her just fine, she would rather be by Nena's side now. But fight she would.

"She'll be fine." She heard from the most unexpected of places, Regene's voice. "Now get ready, the Trilobites seem to have engaged them already."

"Right. They'll resurface soon, isn't it?" Louise commented.

"That's what Colonel Mannequin expects." Soma provided. "Andrei, are you ready?"

"I just hope the Colonel isn't wrong. Is the Trans-Am that powerful?" He replied to his surrogate sister.

"You mean you haven't seen the archives?" Soma inquired, partially in a scolding manner. "Well, no matter, you'll see soon enough."

"There they go." Regene suddenly said, and the sea's surface ripped apart by the sudden appearance of the Ptolemy.

"What the hell..." Andrei's exclamation only served to point how ludicrous the ship's speed was. "No ship should move that fast!"

"Get it together, Lieutenant Smirnoff." Soma shook Andrei from his awe. "Everyone, commence the mission! Pursue their ship but be careful not to risk yourself unnecesarily! Stick to the battle plan!"

"Roger!" The acknowledgement of the other two Norns and the assortment of A-Laws units was heard.

* * *

If someone could hear, it'd appear like a rather bizarre situation. For as they kept shooting towards the ship, Regene maintained a conversation inside his mind with Tieria. As if they were sitting around a coffee table, and a furious pursuit wasn't being conducted.

"_You know, I think you're actually older than me, Tieria. When did they activate you? I can't quite remember._" Regene said inside Tieria's mind, while lazily letting loose a barrage of missiles.

"_About ten, eleven years ago, I believe? I haven't kept count, to be honest. It has never really mattered to me, after all._" He replied. The small-talk felt bizarre in some deep level to him but, after thinking on it for some time, the bizarrenes wasn't unpleasant. Some sort of relationship not quite like what he had in Celestial Being but still familiar. Indeed, the word 'familiar' kept doing rounds in his mind and he wasn't sure what to think of it. Was Regene truly the closest thing he had to family? "_How about you?_"

"_Hmm, yes, indeed._" Regene hummed inside his cockpit. "_About seven years, give or take. It's true, it is harder to keep count when you don't quite care. Still, I recently began to keep it in mind._" For Anew's sake, he reflected.

"_Then I guess I'm the older brother._" Tieria smiled. The Seravee's cockpit monitor displayed the remaining time on Trans-Am. Three minutes it seemed, more than enough to reach low orbit.

"_So it would seem. But don't you think I feel more like the older brother?_" Regene retorted.

"_If that makes you happy._" Tieria shrugged visibly inside his cockpit.

"_Now now, I was hoping for more resistance. Makes it more fun._"

"_I happen to agree, actually._"

"_That makes three, then..._" Regene replied, thoughtfully.

The purple haired pilot of Seravee frowned at that. "_Three? What do you mean?_"

Regene fell silent in Tieria's head for a while. To him it felt like Regene was quite distracted somehow from the beginning of the operation so he just let him take his time to reply. Soon enough, Regene begun again. "_I wonder if you haven't actually met her already._"

"_You're still making no sense._"

Regene smirked, amused. "_Anew Returner, does that name not ring a bell?_"

"_Can't say it does._"

"_Ah, I see. Then not yet. When you meet Anew Returner, take care of her. That's all I can tell you. And now you know she was sent by the innovades when you do meet her, but the thing is: she doesn't know._"

Tieria made sense of it after a moment. "_A sleeper agent?_"

"_As expected of my cute, little brother._" Tieria frowned at the adjective but let it slide. "_Precisely. And Ribbons might be watching when she acts._" He closed his eyes, then opened them again and looked to the skies. "_I'd be an immature imbecile if I didn't accept it, Tieria, she's important to me. Now I realize it, and all I can really do is rely on you. Will you do that for me?_"

He didn't reply immediately. Now that he knew, the implications meant that he could possibly do something about it. And if she didn't know, then it was true enough. As an unwitting sister of his he'd have to protect her. "_Leave it to me._"

"_Thank you. Now hurry up and get ready, phase two is about to begin._" Regene notified Tieria as he saw the Ptolemy go beyond their reach.

"_You mean that strike from one of the innovades? Are you sure it will be alright? You should have told me much earlier, Miss Sumeragi would have been able to plan around it._"

"_If I've learned anything is that there's quite a few humans that can be relied on to plan on the go. If they have any edge over us innovades that would be it. I'm actually pretty sure you can trust her judgement as is, if our previous encounters are anything to go by._"

* * *

"There's no way we can proceed as it is..." Andrei lamented as the Ptolemy got out of range. "Seriously, that's cheating."

"Well, we already knew it would happen." Louise reassured him. "Now all that's left is to see if the plan goes well."

Inside the Norn's battleship, Kati awaited. And once she saw the Ptolemy reach the designated point, she notified him. "Captain Revival, they'll soon approach the planned point. They activated Trans-Am so adjust accordingly as we discussed."

The image of Revive Revival smiled at her. "Roger that, Colonel. I won't let you down." Communications soon closed and she kept watching. She wa quite sure. From seeing this strategy, from watching their moves. It had her signature all over, Leesa Kujo's. What would her response be? Some part of her hoped they'd manage to escape, but her duty compelled her to still do her best.

On the monitors, a blast from the Gadessa's rifle appeared and impacted the Ptolemy. The light from the blast illuminated the screens and for a moment, she had to cover her eyes. '_Seems this is it for you, Leesa._' She thought. The Ptolemy's Trans-Am expected operating time had ended as planned. Without a GN Field to protect from the particle expenditure, they had them right where they wanted.

"Colonle Zhejiang, it's up to you now." She notified her ally, whom they had previously contacted for the mission.

"Acknowledged, Colonel Mannequin. I thank you for this gift." He replied with confidence. "All units, commence your attack! The enemy's GN Particles are depleted, they won't have a GN Field to protect themselves!"

As the units on low orbit engaged the Ptolemy, Kati closed her eyes. Leesa had chosen this path. They had become enemies because of the circumstances, but she had wished she could avoid having to be a party in her demise. She reflected this was the reality of war. '_In a way, this is what you and I always strived for, to avoid as many losses as possible. This is how it must be Leesa, my friend._' Yet, could have Celestial Being become an ally once they had obtained enough information from A-Laws to take this private army down? Was there any point in...

"Colonel, the enemy seems to have gotten reinforcements! They're moving to take down Colonel Zhejiang's battleship!" One of her bridgemen brusqeuly shook her from her thoughts.

"What?! Where did they come from?!" She demanded.

"It seems they deployed from inside the ship at the upper atmosphere!"

"You cannot be serious..." She exclaimed in denial, then lowered her head, her eyes wide open. '_I have no doubt in my mind now._' She closed her eyes and smiled. Shaking her head she raised it, and talked to her communications officer. "Glinda, please send the following message to the enemy's open channel."

"My greetings to the peerless commander of Celestial Being. And a suggestion to keep in mind: not everything is always what it seems. Best regards, Colonel Kati Mannequin."

* * *

"This smells good." Anew praised herself out loud. Here in the Lagrange 3's asteroid base she had worked for about half a year already. Her days spent in development, research and getting along with the crews around the place. It was an enjoyable life, and even more so since she knew her efforts were employed in the healing of the world. Big brother would be proud.

'...big brother?' She wondered. She'd sometimes remember such a person, and in her mind's eye, a purple haired man with glasses would appear. Yet if he was so important, why couldn't she even remember a name?

"Ugh..." She felt a stab on her brain. Grabbing her head she bent slightly to the front, to bear the pain. These headaches were so troublesome sometimes. Yet after a moment, she begun to feel fine again.

What was she doing here again? Oh right, the cookies. She smiled and removed them from the tray. Mrs. Vashti always told her how delicious her baking was, so whenever she had free time she'd try to bake something for the laboratory's crew. Sugar did help with thinking sometimes.

"Maybe I'll do some chocolate chip cookies next time." She thought out loud and took the cookie bags in her hands. As she turned around she saw Mrs. Vashti enter the kitchen.

"Oh, Anew, here you were!" The smiling blonde greeted her, then noticed the bags of cookies on her arms. "Oh, it's cookie day, huh? Let me help you with that." She approached Anew and grabbed a few of the bags. "They're still warm and the smell is so delicious, as always!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Vashti." Anew said with a warm smile.

"Now now, dear, you can call me Linda. I've told you before!" She smiled back, then she remembered something. "Oh right! I was looking for you, the Ptolemy will arrive soon and we'll need you to conduct tests on the 0 Raiser!" She informed her as they left the kitchen and headed over to the laboratory.

"Oh, how exciting, we'll finally be able to conduct the final tests!" Anew expressed her elation. All of their hard work would soon pay off. The numbers expected should help stabilize the 00's Trans-Am performance so they were rather important in everyone's mind. "Will Mileina be with them? I'd very much like to meet her."

"Yes, she will! I'm sure you two will get along marvelously! By the way, have you thought about what Ian suggested?" She asked Anew.

"I think I'll take them up on their offer. If I can help even more, all the better. Besides, I'm sure Mr. Vashti will need assistance with the maintenance of our 0 Raiser. I'd feel more relaxed if I was there to take care of everyone's baby."

Linda chuckled at that. "Everyone will be more relaxed knowing you'll be there, alright. Well then, let's hurry up and get these cookies where they need to be!"

* * *

Standing guard outside of Colonel Mannequin's office, Bernie stood. They had planned this operation for a while now, and this was finally the day to enact it. They had made a network of alarms to perform the task, and the necessary equipment for it. Hidden cameras, hidden microphones, you name it. Now it was time to perform to their best. For their home's sake.

Inside the office, Patrick, Carlos and William got down to work. The sullen man moved skillfully, despite his big frame. Owing to his medical training, Carlos had rather deft hands, and so he was quite suited to this task in particular. Three microphones around the office should be enough, for redundance. He finished placing the one in the desk and covered its place with a thinner wood panel to hide it.

Standing on a ladder, William placed the second camera on the roof. He brushed aside the front of his blonde hair which was sticking on his forehead from the sweat. Even though he was a skilled soldier, these kind of subtle operations weren't quite his cup of tea. He rather much preferred the head-on method. Maybe punch the man responsible, force him to quit it with his shit and do his job. But in the end he guessed the boss was right. Still, he sweated, nervous.

Configuring the devices from a portable terminal, Patrick checked and diagnosed the proper functioning of the ones deployed. It completely escaped his mind that he was currently sitting on Colonel Mannequin's chair. If he had realized it, he probably would have squeed in joy, but he was so focused on the task at hand it barely registered. "5 minutes left for the mission to finish, chop chop, gentlemen." He notified his crew without taking his eyes off the terminal. They acknowledged with a grunt.

The devices had been specially prepared by the engineering crews. Some would comment it was overkill to have such skilled professionals to make surveillance equipment, but this was how engaged they were with keeping the base safe. The colonel would return someday, they had to maintain it. With or without the currently acting commander.

"Done here." Carlos notified Patrick once he finished setting the third microphone.

"Alright. William?" Patrick nodded then asked the other man, and at the same time he checked the three microphones once again.

"One second." The blonde murmured. A few grunts and a curse later, he finished. "There." He took a leap down and started folding the ladder. "How's it looking, boss?"

"All mikes are good to go." He informed him. "One sec...there we go. Yeah, everything's online." They suddenly heard the clacking of metal against the floor outside the office, Bernie's notification of the target approaching. "And right on time. Alright gentlement, mission complete. Head out and let's wait for our efforts to bear fruit."

* * *

"Ugh..." A murmured grunt escaped Nena's lips. Her body felt heavy, sluggish. Raising a hand to her forehead he felt a needle inside her left hand, so she slowly turned to see and then noticed it.

Her left eye wouldn't open.

Hell, she'd try and it would hurt, so she stopped trying. With her right eye she saw the catheter inside her hand, providing her with some sort of medicine 'intravenously'. Or however that word went.

"Man, I did it again. Andy's gonna kill me..." She ruefully reflected. This was the second time she had ended battered from a battle. And this time Andreas was around to scold her. And Kati. And Soma, Louise and Riya! She shuddered at the thought of all those five yelling at her for being so reckless.

"At least I'm alive to receive a scolding, I guess." She also noticed there was no one else inside the room, which she guessed was because even if she was down for the count, they were still in the middle of duty and had to work. She wondered if the Norns were ok without her.

The sound of a sliding door made her turn towards it. The Doctor in charge of the ship's medical bay entered and saw her awake, so he approached the vital signs monitor at the same time as he talked to her. "How're we feeling, Lieutenant? Sluggish, I'd expect?"

"Yeaaaah..." She replied with a drawl. "It's like my mind wants to wake up but my body's not feeling like going to school today."

"That'd be the painkillers. You received quite a nice collection of injuries, I'm afraid." The doctor informed her. "We managed to heal most of them already, though, so once it wears off we won't administer any more."

"Doctor, I can't open my left eye, either."

He stopped reading her chart for a moment, directed a kind smile towards her. She knew that smile. "I'm afraid your eye will need a little more time to heal. It got almost injured beyond repair yet we managed to heal most of it. But unfortunately you'll have to go for a while with an eyepatch. If you use it before it completely heals you'll go blind on the left eye for good."

She turned to look at the ceiling, and raised an arm. Her periferal vision was busted, alright. "Man, I really did it this time, huh?" She let her arm drop in resignation.

"I won't ask, but you should have probably been more cautious, Lieutenant. We're just thankful you're alive."

"Can you tell mo-Colonel Manequin, Engineers Biaggi and Bhandari and the Norns that I'm awake now, please? You think I can see them now?"

"Certainly. Wait here for a few. I'll also send you some dinner, you need to eat if you want to regenerate as soon as possible."

* * *

"Well then, Colonel Mannequin. Since I need Lindt for another assignment, you're on your own for this mission. I hope you fulfill it for good this time." Kati watched Goodman give her her orders from the monitor. While she had escaped some of the consequences from the last failed mission since the part of the operation that didn't go as planned was out of her control, everyone knew it had been her plan in the first place.

"Yes sir." Was her only reply.

"I expect great deeds. Until then." He curtly said, then closed the communications.

When she turned around, her thoughts went immediately to Leesa. She could understand, in a way. Remembering how much she suffered when Emilio died, when she realized it had been both of their faults he had perished. Even though she had told Leesa to not blame herself so harshly. It had been faulty intelligence gathering after all.

"You're still a prisoner to our past, Leesa."

Celestial Being's goal was to eradicate war. It was only natural if they had scouted the broken woman from back then, that she'd be devoted to it. And in a way she was glad her friend had found some manner of atonement in that.

Kati placed her clasped hands over her abdomen and laid back on her chair, looking at the ceiling. In a way she was also glad that they had managed to escape. As she kept thinking more and more about her and Team Norns' true objective, she wondered once again if they could work together down the line. She kept thinking until a while ago that their means were much too extreme, but then reflected that they weren't messing with the world as such anymore. They simply attacked A-Laws, the arm of fascism. They truly wouldn't be that different once they split from A-Laws as well. All they needed now was a final proof, something so undeniably wrong that they could present it before an international court and show the terror A-Laws was drawing them into. Where the world was flowing to.

"Maybe we can meet again, my friend?" She closed her eyes.

Yet now she had to hunt her and her people. Thankfully, the Norns were on the same page. She'd have to conduct a meeting to instruct them not to attack to kill, but to make a show of agreement with A-Laws. They were good little soldiers and were devoted to destroying Celestial Being, something like that.

"Good thing you're skilled enough that we don't need to pull our punches, Leesa." She smirked with her eyes closed. After a few minutes, a knock on her room-turned-office's door made her open them again. "Enter." She instructed the visitor.

"Colonel." One of her adjunctants moved into the room. "I've been notified by Doctor Castle that Lieutenant Trinity is awake and healthy enough to receive visitors."

She had held a breath for a moment when she heard the doctors name, then deflated in relaxation at hearing the news. "Thank you. I will go meet her now, then. If someone looks for me, please let them know."

"Ma'am!"

* * *

The tray was empty now, after Nena was done. Deep in reflection, she remained. What now, then? Would she be good enough to fight without both of her eyes? Would she have to stand on the sidelines while she healed? She disliked the notion for many reasons. And then there was finding out about Ali Al-Saachez.

The memory of his voice made her grit her teeth. And the thought of what she had done made her run simulations in her mind.

What if she hadn't lost her composure?

If she had cooperated with Setsuna and Tieria, could they have taken him down? Surrounding him from every possible route of escape, maybe they could have held him until Lockon and Alle arrived?

What if she was stronger...?

"I'm such a dumbass."

She heard the door open a few minutes later and saw Kati enter the room. Kati's worried face vanished in an instant and took on her usual business stare once she saw Nena relaxed, sitting on the bed. "Seems like you're fine now." She said, then approached the bed.

"Barely." Nena grinned apologetically, like a child who had been just scolded from dirtying the floors with mud.

Kati sat on the bed and softly put a hand on Nena's bandaging on her left eye. "You can't fight like this." She murmured, then passed a hand through the redhead's hair, much to Nena's surprise.

"I know."

She then felt something she had never felt before from Kati. Finding herself embraced by the older woman, her arms remained stuck to her sides, struggling to register what was happening.

"You're a fool." She heard Kati murmur once again, still rubbing her hair.

"I know."

Nena finally reciprocated the embrace and realized how much they both meant to each other. Even if she knew beforehand, such a display made it more firm. She was truly her family, not only Patrick. The scope of her idiocy made her sob.

Kati kissed the top of Nena's head while comforting her and they remained like that for what seemed like tens of minutes. After a while, Nena stopped crying and they released each other. Taking out a handkerchief from her uniform's lapel, Kati dried Nena's remaining tears like a loving yet stern mother, without words. Once she was done and Nena had cleaned her runny nose on Kati's handkerchief, the latter pocketed it and she regained her serious gaze. "You're still going to want to fight, I'd wager."

"Yeah. I'd die from stress if my people went out without me." Nena lowered her head in shame, half turning to look at Kati once she had said her piece.

"I can only allow it under certain conditions. You will listen to my orders at all times. You will accept being protected until you're fully healed. You're going to fight with Purple Haro's help once again." She ordered Nena sternly, and every item on her list was ackowledged with a nod from her.

"It was him, wasn't it?" Kati crossed her arms. "I saw the gift he left you in the middle of your mobile suit."

"It was." Nena frowned in barely contained anger.

"You're not going to fight him without backup, do I make myself clear? Even after you're healed."

"I..."

"Do I make myself clear?" Kati repeated without raising her voice.

"Yes mooooom..." Nena replied in obedience.

"Good. Now get some more rest. I'm sure you're going to get even more scolding after the others receive the news so you'll need all the strength you can muster to take it." She put a hand on Nena's shoulder and rubbed it.

"Aw maaaan! I'm gonna end up dizzy after the whole gauntlet!" Nena covered her face with her hands and dropped back on the bed, slightly rolling to and fro at the prospect.

Kati chuckled a bit at that. "Well then, the rest of us got to get ready for the upcoming mission." Kati finally sat up from the bed. "If you need anything, let me know."

"Alrighty." Nena said still covering her face with her hands, but stopping her rolling around.

As Kati reached the door, Nena stopped her with a question. "We're still fighting the Celestial Dorks, huh?"

Putting a hand on the door's frame she turned around and replied. "It won't be long now, Nena. It won't be long."

* * *

Dressed in a more work-oriented version of the A-Laws uniform, Nena looked up at her Ahead Efreet in the hangar. To her side, Andreas held her arm in support since she was still a bit sluggish from the painkillers yet she had been so stubborn to want and see how her Efreet had eneded up he couldn't help but comply. Behind her stood Riya holding the purple Haro 'Angura' and with 'Vana' holding itself up by surrounding Riya by the collarbone with its arms, like some sort of backpack.

Nena whistled in awe. "Sheesh, I guess it's to be expected from you guys, but it looks like I didn't even go out and fight. Was I out for that long?" She wondered out loud.

"Not really, more like four, or five days. We're also currently docked to the space elevator. Colonel Mannequin informed us that they located Celestial Being in the vincinity of Lagrange 3. We're going to begin our assault tomorrow, most likely."

"Hmmmm." Nena hummed, then turned to see something else that caught her attention. Standing to the side, held by some sort of scaffolding, was the Zwei's sword. It was supposed to be busted and unusable after getting damaged with her suit, but it looked pristine and ready for battle instead. "Michael's sword..."

"We repaired it!" Riya chirped from behind Nena, who turned to look at her. "Andy was in charge of repairing the Efreet and I conducted repairs on the sword! Though I'll still need sometime to adjust your Ahead's power output to handle the blade. Even though its joints should be strong enough, you're already using the Eins rifle after all."

Nena rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Thanks guys. You're the best friends a fighting girl could ask for."

"I have a few ideas regarding the Eins rifle and the blade, but I will probably need some better facilities than the battleship to conduct some more development, I'm afraid." Andreas commented while looking at the sword.

"I'm sure it'll be some really cool stuff." Nena said, approvingly. "Welp, now that we have the Eins rifle and the Zwei blade, imma need to go back home and grab the Drei...rifle? Guys, our naming scheme is flawed. It should be Eins launcher, Zwei blade and Drei rifle, yeah?"

The other two felt a cold sweat slide down their backs from seeing Nena nerding out. Yet it soon turned into happiness from seeing Nena recover so well.

"That's how it's gonna be, then." Andreas rubbed Nena's back in support.

* * *

"Ah, this is Linda Vashti, my wife and Mileina's mother!" Ian introduced the short-haired woman as the Ptolemy's crew entered the arrival's hangar. "And this is one of our newest recruit's: Anew Returner! She has been quite helpful with the development of both 0 Raiser and the GN Archer!"

The rest of Ian's introduction was lost to Tieria once he saw the woman. So this was the person Regene had talked about, an innovade sent as a sleeper agent. He sharpened his gaze, studying her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Anew bowed in greeting, then felt Tieria's gaze. "Is there a p-" As she saw the man she recognized him, and a sharp pain entered her brain. Grabbing on her head she bent and grunted.

"Anew! Are you ok?" Linda motioned to support the younger woman and then she saw something that suprised everyone in the room.

Tieria approached very quickly and supported Anew himself. "Easy there, Miss Returner." Unbeknownst to him, Mileina frowned at such a display in jealousy.

"T-thank you. And you are?" She decided to go by the careful approach. Maybe this was someone else? Even though he looked exactly the same.

"Tieria Erde, it's a pleasure to meet you. Can you stand?" He asked in concern.

"That's a first..." Allelujah commented on the background.

"Think he got smitten by the girl's appearance? I wouldn't blame him." Lockon got close to Allelujah and whispered, curious.

"I...doubt it? It's Tieria, that's kind of unthinkable." Allelujah replied while looking at the scene.

"Well, there's always a first time, huh?" Lockon rubbed his chin, deep in tought.

"Thank you, Mister Erde." Anew felt the headache subside, and stood up. Tieria released her and took a step back.

"It's nothing."

"Well, then!" Ian spoke once again. "Would you guys like to look at our new machines? These will be very busy days to get the 0 Raiser ready!"

* * *

Standing on the hangar, the three uninjured members of Team Norns conducted a final meeting. The assault on Celestial Being's base would start soon and without Lindt's support they'd only have Revive and a recently arrived innovade to help them. A five-man operation to take on an entire base, it would be impossible for any other force in A-Laws besides the Norns.

"You guys be careful." Nena warned her friends. "Man, I wish I could go out there and help."

"We'll be fine." Soma reassured the redhead. "But do try to heal up faster, we need the team to be back to full force."

"I know, I know!" Nena closed her eyes and pantomimed making an effort to do just that.

"Wait up for us, Nen. We know how they fight so it will be alright." Louise said as well.

"I will be around so it will be a walk in the park." Regene smirked.

"Riiiiight." Nena crossed her arms and looked at Regene with her one functioning eye. "Well, avast ye, mateys!" Making fun of her own eyepatch, she took on a pirate's manner of speech. "Get those landlubbers!"

"Aye aye!" Louise seconded her playfully, while Soma just chuckled and Regene raised an eyebrow in confusion.

In the three women's minds was what Kati had told them. They'd soon separate from A-Laws and they'd probably find themselves allied with Celestial Being. How would that go was anyone's guess. But when Louise subtly informed Regene by saying that preparations might be complete and hoped Regene managed to guess the intention behind those words, Regene simply nodded, smiled and barely replied 'Understood'. That made Louise think it was safe to think that he was on the same page. They had to fight but carefully.

"The mission starts in twenty minutes, let's go!" Soma informed her team and they all walked to their respective machines. Operation 'Base Assault' was go.

* * *

"Seems their transport vehicles are leaving." Soma informed Kati over the communications channel. "Should we go in and pursue?"

"Leave them." Kati ordered. Even though Soma knew the answer to her inquiry, she still had to ask. "Our objective is to take down their base so their resources dwindle.

"Roger that, ma'am."

"The Ptolemy seems to be leaving the base now." Regene noticed and called out to the rest of the team.

"All units, start your assault on the enemy ship!" Kati ordered. "Strike!"

"The Gundams are launching now!" One of the battleship's crew said once he noticed them on the monitor.

"Captains Revival and Stabity, launch!" Kati extended her arm with her order. "Gunnery, deploy homing missiles!"

The Ptolemy received the assault, blowing up some of the incoming missiles with its own guns and receiving the rest on its GN Field without an issue.

Since Allelujah was escorting the escape shuttles, Soma decided to help out with the other three. "Norn 4, help me handle the twin-drive! Norn 3, go for the green Gundam and let Stabity deal with the black-and-white one!"

"Got it!" Louise entered into a formation with Soma's Pike and prepared to engage.

"Acknowledged." Regene commented, then directed a mind communication to Tieria. "_You better fight to the best of your ability, your opponent is quite skilled."_

_"Just watch me, brother." _Tieria frowned and readied his long range weapons.

"Fight me, then!" Soma taunted the twin-drive pilot, who was fast approaching. Lunging forward, she both diverted the incoming slash and chipped the enemy's shoulder. "You would do well to not understimate me!"

'They're fast...' Setsuna reflected. He barely avoided the following wide slash by pulling back, and then a golden Ahead pushed him back towards the white one with a swift kick. "What? Where did that one come from?!"

"You're still understimating us!" Louise yelled. "If you don't fight to the best of your ability you'll fall for sure!" Maneuvering fast to disappear from his range of vision once again, she looked around. A beam was released from a nearby asteroid and pierced the Ptolemy. Seems like Captain Revival was doing his job quite efficiently. ?I just hope they do the sensible thing and retreat.' She mused.

Soma received the kicked away twin-drive with a slash that destroyed his blade. "Soldier, where's your mind at? Use your Trans-Am if you don't wish to die!" With her patented lance-handle punch she tried to crush her enemy's cameras but he was too fast to be smashed in.

"I will not fall here!" Setsuna screamed. Taking out his twin sabers he engaged the white Ahead. the long combination attack got the enemy into the defensive at last. The final strike in his attack went to the less defended area to his judgment, the feet. Yet the Pike's heavy lance had much more reach than his short swords.

"Not good enough, I'm afraid!" Blocking with her lance, Soma avoided getting her suit's feet slashed away. With the same momentum, she moved her lance in such a way that she impacted the twin-drive's side and make him spin. He still managed to pull back, though, to avoid being vulnerable to her next lunge that was directed at his suit's center.

Yet once he stabilized his position, he felt the golden Ahead sit on his shoulders. "You still forgot about me!" Wielding her twin sabers, she motioned to stab both drives. Startled by the sudden attack, Setsuna moved his short swords up to block and to his credit he was fast enough to avoid certain death by explosion. With the block's strength, he tossed the golden Ahead to the front, and once more retreated.

"How did they become so skilled?" Setsuna wondered out loud.

"We fight together!" Soma replied to what she heard. "I can see that you can barely handle our teamwork so give up!"

Louise pursued the enemy by Soma's side as he kept dodging shot after shot.

"Another enemy craft has left the Ptolemy!" They heard from one of the bridge officers as they kept pursuing.

"It's approaching you, Norn 1! Take it down before it shows us what he can do!" Kati ordered to the two Norns currently engaged with the twin-drive.

They stopped to better aim and begun shooting, yet the incoming aircraft dodged all the shots.

"It's too small! I better get on melee range!" Louise informed and moved in. "Cover me, Norn 1!"

"Got it!" As she began shooting at the twin-drive to divert their attention, she noticed that the two enemies begun a maneuver. "Careful, Norn 4, they're...docking?!"

"Shit, I'm pulling back!" Erring on the side of caution, Louise decided it would be best to face this with Soma's support.

"TRANS-AM!" Setsuna yelled his order to the 00's operative system once both machines finished the coupling maneuver. And the effect that came stopped the battlefield in silence.

From the Guyana-class battleship, Kati saw a ball of white light in the middle of space. "What is...that?"

Nena, who was looking at the battle from the bridge, also wondered in awe. With her mouth wide open, she looked on, but reacted once the imminent danger sinked in. "Kat-Colonel, I need to launch to help!"

"You're still not healed enough, Trinity!"

"I know, but I'm only helping pull our people back!"

A moment passed bwteen them. Kati's worries and Nena's concern fought one another. At the end, Kati budged. "Do not do anything irrational, Nena."

"Got it." Nena smirked at Kati, then ran to the hangar.

* * *

"What is this...light?" Louise wondered. Outer space had disappeared, her machine's cockpit had vanished. All she saw was intense white light. Despite the sudden change, some manner of calmness invaded her. Her body appeared naked and pure, surrounded by the light as well. As if she could hide nothing.

Then a presence entered her mind, calling out to her. She turned to the source and saw him. Tears begun to well up in her eyes.

"Saji?"

Saji couldn't make heads or tails of the situation. Once Setsuna had activated the Trans-Am system all had turned to white, had he died? Submerged in his thoughts he heard the voice. Her sweet voice calling out to him. Maybe he had really died.

But it still didn't feel like it. "Louise?!"

"Why...how?" Louise was at a loss for words. She felt everything at the same time. Concern, happiness, doubt, calm. Love. She looked on and saw him. "Are you-are you with them?"

"And you?" He looked back at her, saw her in her beauty. His beloved Louise, she was here. "You're with...with A-Laws?"

Guilt. And embarrasment. "It's complicated."

Doubt. And worry. "I can understand that. So is my situation." He replied.

"I guess it's not that simple to explain for either of us." She chuckled with a sob caught in her throat. "Saji...my Saji."

"I finally see you, Louise."

_"Louise!" _She heard from some point outside.

"We're so close. I should just...leave it all." She wished out loud. "Go to you."

_"Saji Crossroad!" _He also heard from somewhere. It sounded like Setsuna somehow. "We should just go away. I want to be with you."

"Louise, are you alright?!" The voice became clearer, and Louise saw open space again. It was Soma's voice and she was in furious struggle with the twin-drive. Her entire left leg had been sliced off. "We need to escape! He's too powerful!"

Louise opened her eyes wide. What had that been? Was Saji truly there? He was in the Gundam? "Saji, stop!"

"Setsuna! Setsuna, we have won, pull back! Let them go!" Saji called out to Setsuna.

"I must open the path to the future!" Setsuna couldn't hear him from the battle frenzy he had submerged himself in. With a powerful sword slash he split the Pike's lance in two.

"Soma!" Louise placed her suit's feet blades together and parried the next strike, which cut them both off clean.

"Setsuna!" Saji called out once again. "What can I do, Haro?! He won't listen!"

"Can't dock out! Can't dock out!" The little robot replied, running through all the routines programmed. They'd need to shake him out somehow.

And once Setsuna raised his sword once again, he screamed. "SETSUNA, NO!"

The blade came into contact not with the defenseless suits, but with another blade. The Zwei blade had been quite reinforced, it seemed to Nena. "Shake out of your funk, Setsuna!" Nena called out to him and slashed him away with the humongous sword. Thankfully, for some reason, Nena's voice managed to reach out after joining the others' voices.

"Trinity, what are you..."

"You know how this is! You guys got this one, get away already!" She took on a defensive stance with the blade in front of her. She had forgone equipping the Eins launcher for this one and so the suit had managed to wield the powerful Zwei blade. Perhaps until Riya could come out with a way to carry them both she could sortie like this, in modules. She found the tought coming to her and kept it as a suggestion for later.

"The light of the twin drive." Setsuna stopped. "It is a dangerous thing. Very well." Setsuna turned around. "I know you, Nena Trinity. And your people." He saw the battlefield and indeed, Sumeragi's tactics had brought them victory. "Then we shall leave."

Nena lowered the blade, then holstered it behind her suit. "Whew, thought you had gone berserk."

"Almost did." He replied curtly.

"Well, I'm not so stupid to think I can take you on with your cheater system." She shrugged and raised her one functioning eyebrow.

Without another word, Setsuna retreated. As the Ptolemy also left the Norns remained floating for a moment, watching them leave. Soon enough, Regene joined them and grabbed Louise's Ahead to support her.

"That was way too close to comfort." Nena said. "If they got that on their side we're screwed."

"We'll need to gather together and think, then. This was beyond our calculations." Regene commented.

"I agree." They heard Kati over the comms. "Norns, return to the battleship. This one's a loss, unfortunately."

"At least we got their base out of comission." Soma provided.

As they flew over to the ship, Louise remained silent. In her head she thought of what had happened. Saji was ok, but he was with them. Yet they could soon become allies. Or would they? They'd need to talk with Celestial Being once it happened, but how? If that was possible, would she leave the Norns?

Would she leave them?

"Should I leave it all behind?" Louise murmured to herself.

"You ok there, Lou?" She heard Nena's voice.

Louise didn't reply, with thoughts doing the rounds inside her head.

* * *

There we go. This one of course played a little different since our Lulu ain't that fragile this time around. They still won because 00 Raiser's Trans-Am is that broken, but I guess it was a win inside the loss for the Norns. Seriously, every time they almost get the upper hand, some hacking cheats come along. Also, Nena has become a pirate! Try to imagine Nena with an eyepatch, to my mind something like Asuka from the Evangelion rebuild movies comes to mind.

Anyways. Thank you very much for your reads, your reviews and your comments. I'm very happy to see that this fic's almost to the 2k views! I'm glad you guys are liking it so far. Next chapter will come in a couple of weeks, again, and we'll see the Norns find out about a certain super weapon that might help them make up their minds about what to do from now on. So yes, we're entering a moment where they'll become a new party to shake up the world's flow (awsnaps, title drop). Well then, I'll see you next time!


	23. Edge of the precipice

Yeeeeah, so...3 days delay. They're truly working me hard over here but I somehow managed to get something done. While I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter's quality I think I managed to lay down some stuff that will have to happen, soon'ish.

Thanks for the reviews again! I really like seeing your impressions each week! Also, we keep getting favs and follows! I appreciate your vote of confidence and I'll do my best to not disappoint.

In any case, that's enough of me. Let's move on with this week's delayed act. Also remember: _italics_ denote thoughts or a converstion held between minds.

* * *

**Chapter 20 - Edge of the precipice**

"Everyone, pull back!" Kati ordered the Norns and the two licensed officers. "The capabilities of the twin-drive are much too great to take it on as we are!"

"I'm afraid I cannot comply, Colonel." She heard Revive Revival say. "The charge is done and I shall take the shot."

"Stop, Captain! You're risking your life unnecesarily!"

"Watch me." Revive challenged and prepared to release the accumulated energy. And as he motioned to pull the trigger a voice was heard in his mind. 'So there was another one.' He heard in a voice he hadn't heard before.

"Should we go help him?" Kati heard Regene ask her.

"In the state we are? He already took down Captain Stabity, I will not risk our people like that. If Captain Revival wishes to place himself in such danger he's free to do so." Kati frowned as she said that, but truly, there was little she could do.

"We're close to the ship now, Colonel." Nena informed her. "We got both Norn 1 and 4 in need of immediate repairs. Thankfully the pilots are unharmed."

"Good. Report to me once you leave them to the maintenance crews, we need to formulate a new strategy."

"Roger that." Nena acknowledged. While on the way they kept watching Revival fight Setsuna, and then they saw something that challenged their senses so much it was unbelievable.

The four of them and Kati on the bridge watched in awe. And the one who broke the silence was Regene. "D-did he just...teleport?"

Despite what had happened to her a moment ago, finding Saji in space and on Celestial Being's side nonetheless, the situation was simply unbelievable to Louise as well. "That's impossible. How do you even...that just doesn't happen."

"Just what did they manage to accomplish? Was it the new craft?" Kati reflected out loud.

"Holy shit, he did it again..." Nena murmured in awe. Remaining just outside of the ship, with the hangar bay doors open, they still watched on.

* * *

Everyone who watched it had the same thought in their mind. This shifted the balance completely. Just as they managed to reach their level, they'd show something new that challenged the odds. They'd need to come up with something, and fast. They still were their enemies at this point, after all.

They sat around Kati's office. The Norns, Riya, Andreas and Kati. Deep in thought each and every one of them were, and their brains were all occupied on the same thought: trying to understand what had just happened. Vana would hum in a very Haro'ish way from time to time, hanging from Riya's neck.

Andreas finally broke the silence, still looking to the floor. "There's no other way to phrase it. That machine teleported."

"It left an afterimage, but yeah. It managed to fool someone as experienced as Revive." Regene provided, also looking to the floor. A part of him was elated, this should be making Ribbons into a ball of stress with a human shape. But another part of him made him wonder just how far had humans managed to advance without Veda. _They're truly innovators, in the regular sense of the word. Heh._

"That thing's just unfair, man." Nena complained. "How are you even supposed to beat that?"

"Seems it was tied to the Trans-Am system. And to the new craft they deployed." Soma observed, and Kati turned to look at her, a strategy already formulating in her mind.

"That will do us a whole lot of good if he goes ahead and activates it. He'll make mincemeat out of us in no time, flat." Louise also complained, lamenting the vast difference between their machines capabilities.

The four Norns sighed at the exact same time.

"I..." Riya felt at a loss, if she was being honest. As part of the engineering component of the team she felt it was her responsibility to shorten such a gap, but she was truly out of ideas. And if she didn't come up with something, her friends would potentially pay the piper. "I'll think of something. If we can't move as fast, we'll tackle this problem with a different approach."

Perhaps blocked from his mind by what he had just seen, Andreas hadn't remembered immediately. But now that they kept talking about speed he did. "Actually, Professor Katagiri sent me a few files regarding his research. He thinks he's close to cracking the mystery of Trans-Am. I'll look it up with Riya and maybe we can help him as well. Both of us working in tandem and him working on his side, we'll come up with something faster." He smirked and looked at everyone in the room.

"Nena's feeling all hot and bothered..." The redhead fanned herself with her hand and looked at Andreas with great approval. Everyone else felt a cold sweat go down the back of their heads from Nena's sincerity.

Kati cleared her throat. "Well! That gives us a course of action, at the very least. And thanks to watching it first hand now we can formulate some sort of plan in case we need to face them again. As for now, though, we need to pursue. As soon as we receive the informa-" A sudden knock on the door interrupted Kati. "Yes? Enter." She called to the person outside.

One of her bridge officers saluted as he entered, and moved forward towards her with a memory drive. "Ma'am. We received this encrypted information from Colonel Smirnoff." At the mention of her father, Soma raised her head and directed her full attention to the drive. "He says you should watch it with your team." As he handed the device, she looked at it carefully.

"Very well, thank you. Is there anything else?" Kati inquired.

"No ma'am. I'll return to my duties." And just as he had entered, the man left. Everyone turned to Kati with differing grades of curiosity or apprehensiveness.

"Might as well see what's this all about." The colonel inserted the drive and ran a quick decryption process with the program key only her and Smirnoff knew. Once it opened, a text file with an attachment could be seen. "Greetings, Mannequin." Kati read for everyone. "As you've been otherwise occupied with your duties in space I'm sure you haven't heard yet. But things have taken a turn for the worst in the planet. The balance of power has been tipped drastically and it might be time to discuss the course we should take from now on. Attached to this file is a video recording that everyone you trust should watch." She finished, then clicked the aforementioned file.

On the video, they could see the capital city of Suille on the distance. The night's sky above it looked clear, clean even. This place was known for a rich history and its people for their industrious nature. The kingdom had managed to remain relevant in the world's stage with sheer willpower and hard work. The lights in the city shined with life, and for a moment everyone wondered just why had Sergei sent such a video, as calming as it looked. And then it happened...

The scene suddenly grew in illumination, as if it was turning into morning at an unnatural speed. Louise murmured out loud her confusion, and in the background, Regene's face turned into a scowl and his teeth clenched.

"You wouldn't dare..." He spoke out loud. "So this is why you told me." Nena turned to look at him, and then the intense light from the video made her turn back to the monitor. A gigantic beam of light swallowed the city whole and razed it with might. As if the very will of God had decreed its demise, the light only intensified, making everyone in the room to narrow their eyes in protection, Riya even covering hers with her palm. The intense light was such that Vana turned around, knowing its optical sensor might be damaged by the intensity of it. As the pillar of light continued, a dust storm was lifted, then quickly made its way to where the video was being filmed from. After reaching the place, the video suffered from interferance and then turned off.

Everyone remained silent as the video ended, and their faces expressed undiluted terror. Such was the might of A-Laws, they realized. At their whim, cities disappeared. Even until then, their methods have been morally dubious, but still comprehensible. But this...

"That can't- I struggle to believe it. I struggle to believe such a thing happened." Soma was the first to break the silence. "How could they erase a city just like that? What did they ever do to deserve utter annihilation?!" Her outrage grew as she spoke. "Colonel!"

"That does it. Kati, we need to do something!" Nena demanded of Mannequin as well. It hit a little too close to home, once she related it to her greatest mistake in the past, such wanton carnage. She couldn't stay with A-Laws in good conscience, not anymore. She then quickly turned towards Louise as she heard a mutter of terror from her.

"No. No no no no no no." The blonde whispered and crouched, protecting herself with her hands to the sides of her head, her eyes wide as plates. The memories struck her in full, and she could almost see her dead family screaming and running once again in her mind. She didn't feel when Nena enveloped her to comfort her, still muttering from her crushed state of mind.

Kati felt everyone else's stare. They seemed to be all of one mind, they couldn't keep working for such people. But she knew it was still not time, at least not without evaluating it all properly. Even if half of her agreed wholeheartedly, she was in a way responsible for everyone here. Both the office and the ship as a whole. "We need to rest for now. I'll call you so we can properly decide, tomorrow. Right now, I don't think we're of a sound enough mind after watching..." She paused and motioned to the now black monitor. "...that."

As everyone moved to get out, Louise starting to calm down in Nena's arms, Kati turned around with a hand on the table and the other on her forehead, also trying to calm down.

"What have you done?" She asked to no one in particular. To A-Laws in particular. "What are we doing?"

* * *

She felt tired, that much was true. As she kept running simulations in the workshop's server Riya had downed already five liters of coffee. Yet no dataset could even come close to matching the twin-drive's performance. It really spoke greatly about the Norn's skill that coming close to Celestial Being's machines had been more than enough. Even while piloting what for all purpose were lesser machines they were narrowing the gap more and more at every subsequent encounter.

And then that GN hack with the twin-drive happened.

"I don't think I'll make any further progre3ss without Andy's Trans-Am research." She muttered out loud.

"You should sleep. You should sleep." She heard the purple Haro, or Angura, suggest in concern.

"I know, I will. Maybe with a rested head I can do much better. Think you can close shop for me, hun?" She said as she cleaned her glasses and put them in place again.

"Leave it to me! Leave it to me!" Angura bounced up and down, happy to be of help to the kind lady.

She turned around and looked at the hangar as a whole, and then she saw a conspicuous light come from one of the mobile suits. Wasn't that Regene's Ahead?

* * *

One of the things that helped Regene think and relax was tinkering with his mobile suit. And after seeing what had happened down on Earth, he really needed to think carefully. While he knew Ribbons was already preparing to use the Memento Mori, he didn't think he'd simply erase a whole human settlement. He thought it'd be perhaps a Katharon base, or some other rebel facility. But this...he couldn't condone it in any way, not anymore. Not after all this time spent with humans.

The hangar was dimly lit, for most everyone was already resting. Even if one couldn't say it was night or day when you were in space, there were always ways to measure and organize their time. Even if the little rest he needed to refresh his memory blocks and internal cycles could be taken almost anywhere, he had to wonder if maybe some benefit could be taken from truly sleeping, like humans. Maybe he'd try it out sometime.

He rebooted the terminal on his Ahead Hoplite. He had decided he'd try it improve on the OS response time a bit, then rest. And while he was working, he thought of what Ribbons had actually assigned to him regarding Memento Mori.

"I suppose that's your way of dealing with them." He thought. "Even if it's a natural response from decent human beings, you truly predicted them well. I guess that's why you made me take such information. To give it to them." Regene mused as he kept writing code on the terminal, his eyes hiding the turmoil inside of him.

"Whatever I do, it'll be to your benefit. Is that not so, Ribbons? If I don't give them the information, they'll die once they decide. If I do, they'll become fugitives."

He stopped writing and stared blankly at the monitor, reading nothing in particular.

"What should I do?"

"About what?" A feminine voice caught him by surprise, and it made him jump on his seat. Once he turned, he saw Riya leaning into the cockpit, her patented smile on her face, although the toll that her long working hours were taking on her could be clearly seen on her eyes. "Ooooh, customizing your machine's OS. Nice."

He took a deep breath and regained his composure as if he hadn't been rattled by the woman. "It helps me relax, I suppose. And you don't need to worry about what I'm wondering, regarding my course of action. I'll be able to handle it myself." He nodded at her in late greeting. "And whatever are you doing this late in the...resting time, Miss Bhandari? Can't sleep?"

She waved a hand as if swatting something away, and her mouth made a non-chalant expression, her eyes looking up for a moment. "Not really. I just lose the sense of time when I'm working." She looked back at him, a slightly worried expression on her face. "There's a lot going on and I have to make sure the team's machines don't get left that far behind, might mean someone gets hurt. I suppose that does take some sleep from under my eyes." She grinned, embarrased, rubbing the back of her head.

"I'm sure you'll come up with something." He made a tentative smile towards her, trying to reassure her. This woman was one of the few humans that Regene held in decent esteem, after all. Her kind of smarts rivalled even some of the most clever innovators, regarding engineering. He was sure if she had access to Veda she could come up with great things.

"I...um, thanks. Thanks for the vote of confidence, hehe." Riya had begun to notice the man lately. It wasn't quite that surprising to her to feel attracted towards him, if she thought about it. In what little time they had known each other so far she saw that behind the cold demeanor lain a very smart person. And even if he wouldn't admit it, as she had learned from talking to him, she knew he was rather kind. And of course, he was cute. In an almost girlish way.

Regene noticed Riya had not spoken for about five minutes while he kept typing, and just remained staring at him. "You must be quite tired, Miss Bhandari, to not react for such a long while."

That shook her from her place in the so-called 'Cloud Nine'. Indeed, she was a little tired. "Oh, I'm sorry! Sorry for staring. I suppose I am tired, after all. Maybe I should retire for the moment, hm?"

"I can't say I dislike the company." He commented, while turning back to look at the monitor, unaware of the effect his words had on her.

In a way she felt like a foolish teenager. Why was she being so timid about it? Maybe she ought to take a page from Nena's playbook and just go for it, she knew how things could change from one moment to the next. But then again that wasn't her, she didn't want Regene to think she was someone different from herself.

He turned back at her, again. "Shall I accompany you to your quarters? It wouldn't do for one of our precious engineers to suffer an accident from being overly tired."

She felt her cheeks go red and hoped the light was low enough that he didn't notice. "Oh no! No no, I couldn't possibly distract you!" _What am I getting so flustered about?_ She thought.

"Oh, I insist. And I insist that you leave your work for the day, sleep should refresh your thought processes and make you even more efficient by tomorrow. It's all for the sake of the team, if you won't do it for yourself." He said as he began standing up from his seat in the cockpit.

She finally gave up, and internally celebrated. He liked her company and worried about her, that much was sure at least. She should stop thinking like a schoolgirl and just go with the flow, see how it all went. "You're absolutely right." She smiled as she accepted. "Well then, I'll impose on your kindness, Mister Regetta." She placed her hand on Regene's offered arm and let him guide her to her room. It was high enough time to get rid of this tiredness, after all.

Maybe she'd try her luck some other time.

* * *

They all gathered around in the briefing room. The decision wasn't one to be made lightly, after all. And while Kati knew they were all pretty much decided on how to progress on it, she was trying to look at the whole picture.

"I know what you're thinking." She started. "You have judged that we should separate from A-Laws as soon as possible, and after seeing the lengths they'll go to ensure their supremacy. I can't help but agree, they're not what the world needs, not by a long shot."

She waited for a moment, as everyone looked at each other somberly. "However, we must also do so intelligently. If we split right now, the consequences might pile up and threaten to overwhelm us. As such, I'm of the opinion that we should at the very least fulfill a last mission that we've been assigned to. One that's intimately related to the object of our rejection: guarding Memento Mori." As she heard everyone's disapproving reaction to it at the same time she raised both of her hands in the air to try and calm them. "Let me explain." She said firmly and loudly. "Headquarters assume, and I agree, that Celestial Being will attempt to assault Memento Mori anytime now. As such, they have gathered Major Lindt's forces around the weapon, and requested that we assist them. Of course, we won't try too hard and actually, I'm of a mind to try and contact Celestial Being somehow, to let them know. Yet therein comes the problem of contacting them without the communication being intercepted. Yes, Captain?" She stopped when Regene raised his hand.

As he got his chance to speak, Regene lowered his hand. "As a matter of fact, I should be able to contact one of their people without issue. I also have ties to Celestial Being after all, just as Lieutenants Smirnoff and Halevy do." He nodded at both of them and their expressions varied from neutrality to discomfort. He figured it was irrelevant since they all knew at the very least that much about each other, but he supposed the implications were still a bit uncomfortable. Still, he pressed on. "Allow me to deal with that in particular and also, I have a suggestion to make." He moved forward to the monitor and opened a file which showed a certain weapon's schematics._ Well, here goes nothing, Ribbons, old friend._ He thought with sarcasm. "I have come across the weapon's schematics and I'm afraid that without this information, Celestial Being will simply be unable to destroy it. So we'll need to find a way to deploy some sort of beacon at the location where they have to strike."

"So you suggest we help them conspicuously?" Soma asked him, with her arms crossed.

Regene merely smiled at that. "Well, let's just say we're helping them help us. It's not like we don't want that thing destroyed as well, right? I'd say this way we do manage to get the cake and eat it."

"Risky." Nena commente, while rubbing her chin in deep thought. "I'll do it."

"What?! No, I can't approve that in good conscience, Trinity." Kati immediately reacted, then calmed once Nena raised a hand in pacification.

"It's not that hard of a task and the fact that I'm not at my one-hundred will make the act I have in mind more believable. I'll carry one of Regene's sticky mines with a beacon of which we'll give the 'ceebees' a way to detect it. It should be doable, right purple?" She turned to Regene.

"That should work, actually. Yes, I can send them such beacon's locating information. Why, I'll prepare it myself."

Kati took a deep breath. Clearly the redhead had thought about it carefully, she couldn't see a problem with it after all. And even further, since Celestial Being would be on it regarding the act, she wouldn't be at too much of a risk. "Very well, I will allow it." She then directed a sharp gaze at Nena. "Just be careful, that's all I'm going to say."

"Aye aye, cap'n." Nena acknowledged Kati's concern while taking a jab at her own eyepatch.

"I'll provide Nena with protection should the need arise." Soma said, to further comfort Kati. "If for some reason she's under attack from whatever, I'll be there."

"Who would even attack Nena?" Louise wondered out loud. "There will be only other A-Laws and Celestial Being there."

"Actually, there's reports of Katharon forces around the area." Kati provided. "So yes, that's a good plan. We'll distribute the teams as such: Nena and Soma to deploy the beacon. Regene and Louise to provide backup and 'fight' Celestial Being. That way we should have all of our bases covered." She paused to look at everyone, and they seemed to be in agreement. "Very well, if there are no questions then that will be our battle plan."

"And regarding the future? What will we do after it?" Louise asked, worried.

"I'll request a supplies run to the space elevator and contact Colonel Smirnoff. After that, we'll make our move. This will be our last mission with A-Laws and we shall make it one where we participate in destroying that apocalyptic machine."

* * *

It came as a surprise, even to Nena. How she had managed to take the loss of her eye in stride, even though the doctor pretty much told her she just needed some time and it'd heal up just fine. Perhaps it was the fact that she was surrounded by people that supported her and loved her.

She played with the patch's elastic band, to see how far it'd go out of curiosity. Her lack of peripheral vision and focus with both eyes was some sort of new experience, she supposed.

"Nena, stop playing with your eyepatch." She heard Soma's voice scold her, and she released it as if she were a child that had been caught scratching off a scab. The impact of the eyepatch against her face made her flinch and mutter a low yelp of more shock than pain.

"I was just testing the elastic!" She complained to her silver-haired friend.

"Believe me, Nena, they make those to last with proper use. Stressing the elastic is not proper use."

"Whatever, you're not my mom." The redhead crossed her arms and raised her nose in bratty defiance.

"Kati told me to check up on you and to make sure you weren't being a scamp." Soma looked at Nena with a mix of amusement and endearment. "She somehow felt you were misbehaving. Rather uncanny, if you ask me."

"Alright alright. I'll be good." She raised her hands in resignation, then turned back fully towards Soma. "So, you ready? For our last mission with A-Laws." She tilted her head slightly to the side.

"I can't say I feel any fondness for the organization. If anything, the ones that matter to me from A-Laws are already here." She paused once realization immediately hit her. "Well, all but one."

"Your bro-bro?" Nena guessed.

Soma closed her eyes and sighed as a reply. "He'll be fine. I guess he'll just have to deal with his sister being a rebel, but since that day when I came back from being stranded in the island, he and father have gotten along much better. They're keeping an eye on each other."

"If not we can have the bad, evil Norns kidnap him or something." As she said that, Nena made an impish smirk and Soma just shook her head and chuckled, yet considered it on the back of her mind.

"And how are you feeling? I'm rather concerned actually, about what this will imply for you." She asked and placed a hand on Nena's shoulder.

"You mean me being still on probation? It'll be fine when we take A-Laws down. I'm really not that worried, actually, as long as the people I love know what I'm doing and why it's ok." She shrugged.

"The Federation might not see it the same way. I'm not that concerned about the rest because we don't really have the same vulnerable background."

"Pshaaw, it'll be fiiiine." Nena shrugged again as if it was nothing to concern herself about. "First we gotta make sure that thing's outta comission, then I'll worry about it. If bad comes to worse you can hide me somewhere." She raised her eyebrows up and down in a conspiratory way.

"As expected of you, I suppose." Soma decided with a sigh that maybe it was indeed something to be concerned about later. They'd do what they needed to do in the now, after all. "Don't stray too far from me, remember what Kati asked you to do. No taking unnecesary risks while you're like this." Soma looked straight into Nena's eye in full concern, like a sibling worried about her sister, her brows furrowed and looking for any sign of doubt from her.

Nena placed her hand over Soma's own and rubbed it in reassurance, confirming that she truly didn't have any plans to die to recklessness. "Please take care of me, then. My silver knight." She said the last line in her trademark sing-song tune, half teasing, half accepting.

* * *

Hiling had lived the worst weeks of her life so far, lately. Serving this lesser human was a chore that not only underused her capabilities, but kept her away from her beloved Ribbons. When she didn't have to play messenger to help manage the vast resources of the Wang family, doing errand girl duties where she'd have to supervise the construction of both Memento Morii, lesser reconnaisance missions and simply standing behind her on her meetings. She truly hated the woman.

If it was up to her she'd just kill her then and there and return to Ribbons, but, alas, that wasn't an option.

"Hiling, dear. What did you find about the hidden Katharon bases in South America?" She heard that odious voice call out to her. She twisted her face in anger for a moment, but then quickly took on a pleasant, if neutral, smile.

"Their locations are hidden beneath rather elaborate jungle mazes. They used cloaking devices to hide but that was their undoing. Simply by scanning on a wide area gave them away. Here's the exact points where they're located." She extended a tablet towards that damned woman, and stood in attention.

As the lesser being browsed the map, Hiling refuged her mind with thinking of how pleased would Ribbons be when he knew that she was being the perfect multi-role assistant. "Yes. This will do. I'll have Hong Long to deliver it to the more radical rebels that require resources in the area. I'm under the impression that was Ribbons' request?"

"It was indeed, Miss Wang."

"Oh please, call me Liu Mei. No need to be so formal." She smiled and it seemed to Hiling like the most hateful smile she had ever seen.

"That's quite alright, Miss Wang." The dry reply came.

"Well then, a professional relationship it is." She turned around as if they hadn't talked about being more friendly at all and started moving. Knowing Hiling would follow after, she resumed speaking. "It appears like Memento Mori II will soon be finished. But I wonder why is Ribbons so decided to sacrifice the first one?"

_You would dare continue talking of Master Ribbons in the first person!?_ Hiling felt her anger rise inside of her, but made the titanic effort to keep it under control. "I can only imagine what is Master Ribbons' objective."

"Well, if it brings the change we desire, then so be it. No price is too high." She waved her hand as if swatting her curiosity away. "It seems he wants you to look closeby when it happens so he called you over. I don't know why he didn't just contact you directly but I suppose he just didn't want to distract you."

She couldn't contain her elation, even though he hadn't contacted her directly, knowing that she'd soon see Master Ribbons filled her with joy. "I-I see. Then, if you have no more duties for me for the moment, may I go answer the summons?"

"Yes, please do. And please bring these reports to him when you see him. Let's kill two birds with one stone." She turned around gracefully and handed Hiling a memory drive.

_Wish it was you who we killed instead._ "Of course. It shall be done."

* * *

"Ah, Nena!" Andreas caught up with the redhead, who had just started walking to her Ahead Efreet. She turned around and grinned at him. "You sortied out guns ablaze last time so I didn't have enough time to explain it to you, but we worked on a way for your Ahead to use the Eins Launcher and the Zwei Blade properly." He put his hands on his hips to begin explaining, making a quick motion to adjust his glasses as he reached Nena.

"Oh! Yeah, sorry about that. The twin-drive dork was going ballistic on my girls so I had to." She placed her hand behind her neck and stuck her tongue out in a kind of expression which said 'Sorry!'

"Oh, that's quite alright. You wouldn't be you if you didn't do that kind of thing from time to time." Andreas waved the apology as if it wasn't a big deal. "But in any case, unfortunately, the Ahead simply doesn't have enough power to handle both weapons at once. The energy requirements are something that we cannot improve on while we're out here in space, without proper facilities. So!" He dramatically waved up to the crimson Ahead. "I'd like to introduce the 'Variable Pack System'!"

"Ah, you don't mean, easily swappable configurations?" The redhead clapped her hands as she thought she understood what Andreas meant.

"Indeed! As expected of our engineer pilot. While we're still working in a way for you to be able to summon a different configuration mid-battle, we can switch out for the Eins Launcher or the Zwei Blade with very little time loss. Think of it like changing a tire!" As he finished, he found himself enveloped in a loving embrace from his girlfriend, and he grinned at the affection he received from the grateful pilot.

"You're awesome, Andy! Even like this, it's already amazing!" She gave him a quick peck as thanks, then turned around to look at her mobile suit. "Man, eventually we could make some sort of aircraft to really switch on the go!"

"That's the idea, yes. Although I'd very much prefer if we found a way to equip the two at the same time. Maybe with a new machine..." He trailed off in thought.

"Dude, Aheads are already top-of-the-line. Who knows when we'll come up with something better." She lamented out loud.

Once she turned to look at Andreas she recognized that expression he wore. He was propping his right elbow with his left hand, and the right hand was poised to adjust his glasses, which seemed to be glinting with the hangar's light. "Ah! Therein lies our advantage! As I have said before, I've been in constant communication with Professor Katagiri! Not only is his research into Trans-Am something I'm familiar with, but also his breakthroughs regarding mobile suit development! If you give me access to proper facilities, and with Riya's help, I'm sure I can produce something good enough. Perhaps in the time we'd take to make the craft you're thinking about!" He boasted, and to his credit, Nena could very much believe it.

"Andy, when I'm back from this mission you're getting a reward." She said in a low, sultry voice.

* * *

"I think I can see Memento Mori." Louise called over to the rest of the team. "And Major Lindt's forces. Why, it seems they already begun the party without us."

Soma, however, noticed a weird motion from the satellite weapon. "Why is it turning towards space now?" She wondered, and as she asked she realized. A massive energy beam was released from Memento Mori. The intense light made it look as if a ray of sunlight appeared over the Earth's atmosphere and on its wake, more than half of Katharon's forces were vaporized completely. The Norns sans Regene Regetta were flabbergasted to see it up close.

"W-well, so much for Katharon, huh?" Nena stuttered in fear, trying to calm her frayed nerves from seeing such power.

As for Louise, she clenched her teeth and took a deep breath. _Easy, Louise._ She tried to calm down. "That machine is a messenger from hell itself..."

"Get ready, Celestial Being approaches." Regene notified his shocked companions and once they reacted they tried to go back into mission mentality.

"Norn 3 and 4 commence your mission. Norn 2, with me." Soma reminded everyone of their assignments and flew ahead against the twin-drive and the green sniper. "Seems they're going to focus on protecting the remaining Katharon forces. Let us move in to support major Lindt's squad." As they watched the twin-drive make short work of several A-Laws units, Soma challenged them for everyone to hear. "Celestial Being! You have seen the might of Memento Mori, surrender now and you'll be spared!" She pointed at them with her lance dramatically and flew at them, closely followed by Nena.

"Oi oi, are you serious, that machine's hellish! You want it to remain?!" Lockon yelled back, also playing his part. Even if he had his doubts he decided to gamble on Tieria's claim that the Norns would be cooperating, some sort of insider agents that could assist with Memento Mori's destruction. He just hoped he was right.

"Be silent, and fight!" Soma went ahead and shot at the green Gundam with her lance, the shield bits taking the brunt of the assault. In a dance that only highly skilled pilots could manage, they exchanged shots, went into close range and split from each other. "You're a credit to your team, sir! But will that be enough?" She drew a wide semi-circle with her lance, which took down a couple of bits but left her wide open for reprisal. Taking the chance, Lockon aimed rigth at the lance, slicing it in two with both blades at the same time. "What?!" Pulling back, she tossed away the destroyed lance which imploded soon after.

"Yeah, I think I was enough there." Lockon quipped at her. It seems Tieria was right, he was able to see that incoming slice from miles away, she had obviously made it so he'd have access to any part he wanted to destroy. He realized she had trusted him and he could admire that, they were quite dedicated to their role in this. As expected of Allelujah's sweetheart.

"Lockon! The Ptolomaios is in danger, Memento Mori is about to shoot!" He suddenly received a yell from Tieria and he immediately moved to protect the mothership.

"Running away? Coward!" Soma yelled at him but allowed him to whithdraw, seeing how Nena was embroiled in battle with the twin-drive and apparently most of Katharon's forces had managed to lave the battlefield already.

"I'm just taking a raincheck, honey! I'll play with you some other time!" Lockon couldn't help but tease his enemy as he deployed the shield bits to protect the Ptolemaios.

* * *

"Damnit, you're strong." Nena muttered under her breath as she kept parrying hits from the 00 Raiser with the Zwei blade. As they had a general idea who they'd be fighting, to pick the Blade Pack had been a no-brainer. And even if she realized that Setsuna was holding back, he still attacked with enough force that she was having trouble. _Crap, I can't even tell him to slow down!_ She thought.

"We'll open the path to the future, we'll take down Memento Mori!" Setsuna yelled as he kept hitting Nena, then kicked her suit away after a series of parried slashes. He then suddenly felt the presence of the silver Ahead and quickly parried the incoming shots and the blade slash once it came into melee.

"So fast..." Soma lamented, but kept slashing away, and couldn't help but feel her pride hurt once she saw that the twin-drive was merely dancing around her. Even if she knew he wasn't supposed to be serious, the fact that he wasn't serious at all angered her a bit.

Silently, Setsuna caught the incoming thrust capturing the silver Ahead's arm with the 00 Raiser's own, then cleanly slashed it off and kicked the suit away. Once it was propelling backwards he remembered Tieria's instructions.

_You'll enter melee with both the red and silver Aheads. Once you deal with the silver one, you'll push the red one towards Memento Mori. Nena Trinity is riding that one and she'll know what to do once she's close by. Make sure to strike her backpack._

_So be it._ Setsuna thought. Speeding to the red Ahead's position, he caught her by surprise and made a three-slice combo that he knew could be easily parried.

_Here goes nothing, then._ Nena also primed herself for what was to come according to plan, and after the three parries she left herself wide open for Setsuna to push her away. She took a potshot from him right where the beacon mine was being stored and felt herself be propelled away with a powerful kick from the 00 Raiser.

_The weakspot should be...here!_ She impacted the point that Regene had instructed her to hit with her backpack and the mine glued itself to the spot. Placing her suit's palms against the satellite weapon's plate she got rid of the backpack which floated close to the mine. According to her own plan it should make it more believable, and so she propelled back into the fray, Zwei blade forward in a direct course against the twin drive again. _My part's done, now it's up to you, dorks._

* * *

_It's set, Tieria, now you're up. Do your best._ Regene notified his twin once he noticed Nena had managed to deploy the beacon. _Can you hear the mine?_ He inquired mentally.

_Loud and clear. Thank you, Regene._ Tieria acknowledged. He had to admit, having his brother's help made him feel as if his existance wasn't completely useless. If both him and Regene were going against the ones Aeolia had decreed as the keepers of his plan, then he could feel his decision to stand by Celestial Being's side as a proper one. After hearing about their plan from Regene he had managed to realize that maybe this was truly what was necessary. The keepers had strayed but at least two of them were struggling to correct the course. He thought of Anew and hoped it could soon be three.

"Die, Celestial Being!" Louise screamed and slashed away at the black-and-white Gundam's sturdy armor. Half of her felt uncomfortable by working with them, but the other half felt horrified by Memento Mori's power. The memories it unearthed cemented her decision to let bygones be bygones for now and, besides, none of the four machines that fought with Celestial Being looked even remotely like the one that had performed that horrible attack back then.

She supposed that at least she could direct her dormant anger towards making the act more believable.

"Move out, Norn 4!" Regene instructed Louise and as he noticed the golden Ahead separate from the Seravee and approach him, he let loose a missile barrage that was stopped by a GN-Field. As expected. _Do it, Tieria._ He called out.

"Begone, A-Laws!" Tieria took the cue and let loose a powerful double beam from his shoulder-mounted bazookas, which took both the right arm and leg from the Ahead Pixie, and most of the Ahead Hoplon's armor. Once he saw them whithdraw from the damage dealt he notified Lockon. "Get ready, Lockon!" He charged his suit's particles to let loose an even more powerful blast which took apart the protecting cover of Memento Mori's weakpoint, vaporizing the backpack that was left there and the beacon.

"This is it!" Lockon took aim and once the notification sounded in his ears, he shot a pinpoint blast at the opening made by Tieria.

* * *

"Pull back, Norns!" Kati called out to her team as she saw the weapon began exploding from the coordinated impact from Celestial Being. "Memento Mori's going critical!"

She sat back in apparent dejection, placing her hand on her forehead. _I suppose this is how it's meant to be done. At least this way the people doesn't have to fear punishment from the heavens anymore._ Even if she knew they had done the right thing she still had her doubts and fears about it all that lent credence to her expression. What if they found out at headquarters before they were ready to split? What if their splitting apart from A-Laws made them into priority targets and couldn't handle it? It truly felt like a point of no return.

"Open communications with General Goodman." She ordered her comms officer. "I need to report this immediately, it's clear we're outmatched as we are."

* * *

Once they docked with the space elevator, Kati received a notification that Colonel Smirnoff awaited her at the Federation army's barracks in the docks. After checking up on the Norns who seemed quite alright despite the damage to the machines she gave instructions to begin maintenance work and for the four pilots to rest up, she directed herself to meet with Sergei. As she walked, she mentally felt grateful that the plan had gone without a hitch regarding her team's safety. Even when Celestial Being was in on it she knew something could have gone wrong, after all.

"I'm being expected by Colonel Smirnoff." She announced to the standing guard outside of where Smirnoff was waiting, then moved inside once the door opened. Saluting Sergei respectfully she moved to the chair inside the room, in front of the table where he was resting his elbows after saluting her back.

They remained silent for a moment. Even if they both knew what was coming soon the way to do it was critical. After a little while Sergei spoke up. "Memento Mori has dealt a blow beyond the rebel forces that it destroyed, it seems. While they demonstrated their power a splinter faction from the Federation army has been born."

Kati realized the implication. If they were to move it could be at the same time, in the confusion. "They plan to attack A-Laws?" She asked.

Sergei adjusted himself on the seat, and grunted in discomfort. "Actually, they're planning to reveal the reality of A-Laws for the time being. That of course implies an assault but so far, there's nothing about where they'll do their demonstration or how. I've been assigned to deal with them somehow and as such we're still investigating."

"I see." Kati mused out loud. Sinking in deep thought she supported her chin, then adjusted her glasses. She approached Sergei and whispered. "Most everyone aboard the Guyana feels uncomfortable about working with A-Laws now, naturally. I had to convince them to work a little bit more with them for the time being, but even I feel like we should split now." She informed Sergei and he nodded. "Sergei, I need you to contact Patrick and to gather what they can from the base, then meet up with us where I instruct afterwards. I'll send you the location once I can think of a good place to begin planning. The time is at hand." She leaned back and stared at Smirnoff for a while.

He closed his eyes, and sighed. "I understand. I don't know if he has contacted you but he seems to be having problems with the assigned commander at the base." He opened one eye and looked at her for her reaction.

She did a double take at that. "Truly? Is the new commander incompetent somehow?"

"Quite, from what Patrick tells me. Hopefully he has managed to deal with it by now, though. He said he had a plan." Once he finished notifying her he smirked, for he had an idea of how she'd react.

"That fool..." She sighed in concern. She knew why he was doing it and some part of her thought he could be trusted with it, but yet another part felt quite worried. She hoped her former half was right. "Do let me know what happens once you find out, please."

"Heh, of course." He chuckled mildly. "But I trust he'll be fine, you're just worrying too much."

"Yes, I hope so." She turned to the side and clicked her tongue. Sergei chuckled again.

"Well then, that's all I needed to tell you. How's Soma, by the way?" Sergei moved to a different topic.

"She keeps growing into her role of leader, although they're syncing so well she's more of the other two's foil. Like their big sister. It's rather endearing." She smiled while informing Sergei. "You'd be proud."

"I am proud." He raised his head. "And glad to hear that. My little girl." He nodded in approval. "And Nena? Is her eye better?"

"That dumb child will be the death of me." She once again turned to the side, and her concern was palpable. This time Sergei didn't chuckle. "She insists on fighting and everytime she goes out I'm looking at her location in concern. But anwyays, the doctor says she'll heal up just fine, only slowly. Maybe in a few months."

"I see. As expected of her, I suppose. But I'm sure Soma will take care of her, don't worry too much. You've done a great job so far at leading them."

"I sure hope I am." Kati said in worry.

"Very well. Let's go ahead and commence with the first stage, then. Here's what we've managed to find regarding the splinter Federation faction. Hopefully it helps you make your move. I'll go and research more, hopefully nothing else complicates things." He extended a memory drive, with information encrypted inside.

Kati reached out and grabbed the device. "This is it, Sergei, it's what's necessary. And we can't fail, the world cannot afford our failure."

* * *

While Hiling couldn't quite understand Ribbons' order, it was absolute. It was clear that if there was anyone whose plans she wasn't supposed to comprehend, it would be his. Since his intellect was vastly superior to any other being she knew, she decided that she'd follow his order to the word.

_Let them destroy Memento Mori._ The order began. Why would they allow them to get rid of something that had taken so much resources and effort to make was for Hiling to guess. But she supposed that simply was the vast scope of his plan.

_Then, once chaos ensues, strike the twin-drive down and direct him towards the middle east. Devine and Bring shall assist you._ The order ended, and this one she could understand a bit better. At least he part where they would strike at the enemy, yet she couldn't get why they'd sacrifice Memento Mori for that.

"His plans run in two or more rails, after all." She mused out loud, and in her need to please her beloved Ribbons she began her mission. "Devine, Bring, let's go."

"Very well." She heard Bring's curt reply.

"Three is overkill, if you ask me, but whatever. If that's what Ribbons wants who am I to complain?" Devine commented and readied his Empruss for the assault.

"Alrighty then, guys. Follow me." She chirped happily and set her sights on the twin-drive while Devine and Bring assaulted the Ptolemaios. This would be a walk in the park and Ribbons would be pleased, of that she'd make sure. And the fact that he had implied that this would be only the first of many more battle assignments made her elation greater.

"Oh, dear Master Ribbons. Your wishes are my law." She whispered, and struck the twin-drive from the back as it was distracted from protecting the Ptolemaios. The suit was further assaulted by impacts from her allies and she watched in glee as the targetted mobile suit propelled downwards, drawn by Earth's gravity.

Somewhere, watching it all unfold, Ribbons smirked. "They're like puppets once you know how to pull the strings. Beautiful." He looked outside and saw the Earth far away. "This world, so delicious." He opened his hand as if grasping the planet.

"So we ready to go, boss?" The voice of Ali Al-Saachez called out to him from behind, and he half-turned in acknowledgement.

"It is time, Ali Al-Saachez. Time to visit little Setsuna."

* * *

Well, there we go. The Norns have gotten tired of serving the damn A-Laws and are moving to separate now. But they'll need a new base and whatever Patters can bring from the base, which he's trying to prevent from falling apart. What will happen to our dear protagonists? I guess you'll have to wait until the next chapter to find out.

Now, I guess I shouldn't promise on a release date for the next chapter. I'll really try my hardest to make it this time but, alas, I can't promise anything. I guess all you will be able to get from me is my conitnued promise that this will be finished, no doubt. Why, I already have the end in my mind, awaiting to be released. But the journey is still long and, as our reviewer northernlion196 would say, there's a certain bomb that's still ticking...

As always, thank you for your reviews, reads and comments. I'll see ya on the next chapter!


	24. What you gain and what you lose

*Dons a Solid Snake cosplay* Kept you waiting, huh?

So...yeeeeah. I'm not even gonna try and apologize, not gonna do a lot. Just gonna say it's been hardcore at work and I barely squeezed this out of my head. So this author note is only to renew my vow to you all that it will be finished.

Also, thanks a lot for all those follows the story got in this long hiatus. Mattman, your observation is correct, it's supposed to be "Kyrios" not "Arios" and I'm gonna go back and correct it now. Snarky Miracles, thank you for your kind words! It does me a lot of good to read that you enjoyed it so much. I say again to you, I will definitely finish this.

In any case, enough about me. Time to give you what you've all been waiting for a while: New material.

* * *

**Chapter 21 - What you gain and what you lose  
**

He punched the wall with all his might, his frustration overflowing and overriding his artificial emotion control. With his green hair falling in bangs over his face, the showerhead's water rinsed over Ribbons Almark's back as he kept his eyes closed.

"Those foolish humans." He murmured under his breath. "Foolish imbeciles. Foolish CATTLE!"

He allowed himself the anger that had accumulated over the past few years, being fully aware that even the innovades weren't immune to human emotion. Even if he knew that they were superior to humans, he also knew that their general hardware was based on the human genome. They were computer terminals with a human biological body.

He grit his teeth and struggled yet again to understand. Why would they resist so? When it was Celestial Being he could understand, they had been crafted by Aeolia Schenberg for that very purpose after all. Even if they had remained in function long after they should have been disposed of, the fact that they had re-emerged at all had been a boon to him.

Because humans had learned nothing, and so he needed conflict and chaos once again. They should have behaved as Veda's simulation had predicted but, instead, those rebellious and cancerous pockets of resistance still surfaced. Again and again.

And now they had appeared inside the Federation's military. Sure, he could eliminate them and he was in fact preparing to do exactly that but...

What if others followed?

What if resistance even inside A-Laws followed?

"Why can't they understand?" He lamented once more, and punched the wall again. Aeolia Schenberg knew that they would never listen if he just came out and said that they needed to stand united _-now-_ if they meant to whitstand and survive First Contact.

And then there was Aeolia Schenberg himself.

"I can't even see what you had planned anymore, Aeolia." He said to no one. The Trans-Am system had been planned. The way they had managed to survive had not, yet it had become a gift as he had already reflected. But that Twin Engine...he didn't know if it had been Celestial Being themselves or yet another gift from Aeolia.

He turned off the showerhead's stream and got out of the room, inside his bedchamber. And in the darkness he sat on his bed, naked and moist, his eyes the only apparent source of light.

"I just need to push a little further. And my sweet little Norns, and my even sweeter little Celestial Beings will help..."

* * *

"Well?" Nena asked to both Colonel Mannequin in specific and to her fellow Norns in general. "What now? Even if they didn't figure out we helped 'Celestial Being' in getting rid of Memento Mori, I don't think any of us wanna keep working with A-Laws, right? What's the plan?" She looked at the other three women inside Kati's office, who were all either thinking deep or simply being sullen about the situation. While they had managed to take down the hellish satellite machine, they still felt as if something had been taken from them all.

"Uh..." Louise tried. "At the very least we'll need somewhere new to make our base at. This ship needs resupplying once in a while, after all."

Looking downwards Soma thought out loud. "What about contacting Kataron? Maybe they can help us out?"

"Fat chance. After all the times we've fought them I wouldn't be surprised if they shoot us on sight, no matter what we do." Nena scoffed at the notion, then lowered her head and felt rather depressed against her better efforts.

"True enough." Kati agreed. "And of course the federation base from where Nena and I come from is out of the question. I suppose we'll have to think this one carefully." She then noticed a conspicuous absence in the office. "Where's Regetta, by the way?"

Holding her chin on her hand in thought, Nena non-chalantly replied. "He said he wanted to check something and that he'd be ok with whatever we decided." Louise fidgeted a moment at hearing that, but it went unnoticed by the rest.

"We've really been finding ourselves frequently here, huh? Gathering and trying to decide what to do..." Nena reflected out loud to no one in particular.

Kati finally sighed. "I guess we'll have to scout for a suitable location. As for now, Colonel Smirnoff has let me know that a part of the Federation's military is planning a coup. Seems we weren't the only ones that disliked A-Laws' way of doing things."

"That's reassuring." Soma commented. "That gives our case afterwards even more legitimacy. This is good."

"I'm worried about them, though." Louise said in concern. "We're only this ship and in a way we're more mobile, and we have top-of-the-line machines. Them being a lot and with lesser mobile suits, there will be a lot of deaths..."

"They knew what they were getting into, Lou." She was comforted by Nena, who shrugged as she said so.

"Let us worry about what we need to do for now, Halevy." Kati tried. "Truly, a place where we can touch base...if only we had such an option." She thought out loud. "Somewhere far away enough that we're not so easily accesible. In Asia or Africa, perhaps?"

When Kati said 'Africa', Nena raised her head in realization. Of course! "Kati! Whatever happened to Trinity Base?"

"Trinity Base? What are y-of course!" Quickly remembering, she realized what she meant. The old base that the Trinity siblings used when they belonged to Celestial Being. Now under direct administration from her base, she had left a skeleton crew to maintain it and categorize whatever resources the AEU military could use. She was glad they had decided to just leave it as an outpost with little to no importance soon after Celestial Being had been placated back then. "That should work!"

"Is that by any chance where you..." Soma trailed off, asking.

"Yeah!" Nena quickly answered, then another realization hit her. "Hell, we should also have the Trinity mothership docked there! We never did anything with it, did we?" She asked Kati.

"We just left it there, indeed. I cannot vouch for it to be fully functional, we didn't have enough manpower to keep it up and running, but the crew we have here coupled with the one at the base should be enough to salvage most if not all of the ship."

Louise assumed they were talking about some research facility, and furthermore, one where Nena used to live in or something. Maybe she'd ask later. "Man, talk about lucky!"

* * *

He found himself at the small corner of the hangar he had appropriated as his lab of sorts. The buzzing he had felt but didn't quite pay attention to as they destroyed Memento Mori somehow made him remember one of the things that weighed on his mind for a while now.

"There's no other explanation, you put some sort of probe in me, did you not, Ribbons?"

Talking to himself he continued the full-body scan and awaited for the results. Crossing his arms, various other hypothesis made the rounds in his mind. Perhaps a spy he knew nothing of kept an eye and an ear on him? Maybe even Louise herself? Unlikely, he admitted. While some things might plausibly be known by spying on him, many more were only explainable if Ribbons had access to his thoughts somehow...

"My mind? Could i-" As he followed that train of thought, he received a transmission from his twin brother, and even before Tieria began he already felt the urgency of whatever he was going to hear.

"Regene, excuse me but, are you busy? This is important." He heard inside his mind.

"Well, I was trying to figure something out but I suppose it can wait. What is it, brother dearest?" He replied half-teasingly, while he noticed the scan had finished.

"It's about the aftermath of Memento Mori's destruction. We have...lost contact with Setsuna. The last registered position of the 00 Gundam was at quadrant thirty-seven and..."

Regene smirked. "And you were hoping that maybe our cameras had caught something, I suppose?"

"Ah, yes, that is correct. We assume they employed some sort of jamming for us to lose sight of Setsuna. A visual witness would be our only choice."

"How could I refuse helping my cute little brother?" He said to Tieria with a snarky tone. "Let's see..." He browsed through the battleship's files at an outstanding speed, searching for any relevant images. "Ooooh, this is interesting..." He murmured out loud.

"Did you find something?"

"It seems Ribbons did make sure to separate him from you. Somehow they managed to sneak behind your friend and pushed him into the Earth. Judging from his trajectory..." He paused to calculate. "He should have been pushed into Kurgis territory."

"Kurgis?! I should notify the rest about this immediately!" Tieria paused for a moment, from the shock. "Regene, thank you very much. Your help has been a great boon."

"Oh, think nothing of it, brother dearest. You should hurry along, chop chop!" Regene non-chalantly reassured Tieria, wishing to return to his wonderings.

"Very well. Still, thanks. Hopefully we're not too late but I suspect that..."

"That is very possible, indeed." Regene guessed his thoughts, then took on a serious tone. "Be prepared to find _him_."

"Yes, Regene." Tieria acknowledged the possiblity of Ribbons being there, waiting, then stopped mental communications to go and notify his people.  
Regene closed his eyes and mused to himself. "Somehow I feel like you also predicted this, Ribbons." He ruefully understood. "But there's not anything else I could do."

He turned towards the results and frowned. "As expected, nothing. No tampering, no probes, no...nothing."

Pausing, he crossed his arms in frustration. "Then what?"

* * *

Patrick had never been a man who planned any of his stuff ahead. He rather prefered just going with the flow, see where it took him. That's how he had decided to split from his father after he realized the man had never really cared for him or his mother beyond the necessities of high-society. The day his mother had died he didn't see the man get even slightly affected. She had died and that was it.

The only family Patrick had ever had didn't include Jacques Colasour, after all.

But lately, Patrick had changed. Gaining responsabilities towards his team, towards his base. To the Colonel's expectations. To the little sister he had now gained, he supposed it wasn't a bad change. Taking on those responsibilities meant he could take care of what mattered to him the most, secure in the fact that he could impact what happened.

He sighed, standing outside the base's commander's office, waiting for that sleaze-ball to appear. "I guess I've changed." He reflected.

"What was that, boss?" Bernie asked, standing to the other side of the door, his cybernetic leg supporting most of his body's weight.

"Oh, nothing, nothing. Man, that guy sure is taking his time. He's gonna ruin the timing and stuff."

"Last thing he'll ruin, Patrick." Will was leaning against the wall opposite to the door, his arms crossed and his eyes closed. He raised his head ever so slightly and looked at Patrick with one eye. "It's a foregone conclusion, we got him by the balls now."

"Even the higher-ups agreed. It was a bad idea to get this man to lead the base." Bernie commented. "Oh, here he comes."

Walking with a swagger, the soon-to-be former commander of the base approached the men, surprised to see them waiting. "Well well, what are you gentlemen doing here? If you're out of duties you shoulda told me, eh? I'm sure I'll find you something to do around here."

Taking on an uncharacteristic tone for him, Patrick stood in attention and began addressing the man. "Lieutenant Colonel Briggs, we've been waiting for you."

"Oh? And what is i-" The man tried to say but was brusquely interrupted by Patrick.

"We've come to notify you about the relieving of your duties here, as commanding officer. Due to an investigation conducted by the base's auditing department, and by obtaining undeniable proof of your activities inside the base's installations and, furthermore, within working hours, the Federation Army's ethics comitee has decided that you're no longer required to administrate the base."

Blabbering, the man was taken by surprise and was shocked beyond belief. He was told this base was left with 'has-beens'! "W-what is the meaning of this?!"

"Please accompany the Lieutenant Colonel to the holding cell to await for his court martial." He said to William and Bernard, and they saluted Patrick, then grabbed each of the former commander's arms, and firmly prodded him to move.

"You won't get away with this! General Mars will hear about it!" Patrick heard him yell in desperation.

"The court martial will hear your plea, Lieutenant Colonel." He stared at him, impassive. Once they were out of sight, he visibly relaxed and took a deep breath. "Whew, that was so stuffy..."

"You did well, chief." Carlos appeared from behind Patrick and made him leap in surprise. "Colonel Mannequin would be pleased."

"Shit, man, don't scare me like that!" He softly punched the bigger man's shoulder, then straightened himself again. "I only did it to keep our home safe, that's all." Then the thought of Kati praising him made a silly smile appear on his face. "Altho' I wouldn't mind the Colonel rewarding me..."

Without a change on his stoic expression, Carlos continued. "I have come to notify you, actually. The Colonel has established communications with the base and hopes to speak to you."

By the way Carlos said it, he guessed it was about the Colonel's investigations and, as such, was trying to contact him through the private frequencies, in a certain part of the base. "Oh, damn, ok. Let's go, I'll need you to hear as well, then."

"Very well." Carlos turned around and began moving, closely followed by Patrick.

* * *

Kati awaited patiently for Patrick to appear behind the monitor. After they had decided to move into the old Trinity base they knew they'd need more help than ever, now. She made the choice to call on more of the base's resources and begin working in earnest towards the next step in their plan: eliminating the threat of A-Laws, by cutting the mastermind's control over it. She supposed they'd need to cooperate with Celestial Being eventually, but she preferred to keep the cooperation to a minimum. She still disliked their methods, after all, answering to no one, doing what they pleased.

The monitor finally showed Patrick's face. "Colonel! I'm here! How's everyone over there?" He greeted her happily, tossing a salute in deference.

"Greetings, Captain. Everyone is fine here, we've managed to continue our investigations without much issue." She saluted back and began. "I'm sure you heard about Memento Mori already, from Colonel Smirnoff?"

"Man...yeah." Patrick felt his mood darken. Remembering that freaking laser thing was blood-curling. "Crazy people, I'm telling ya..."

"We managed to destroy it with Celestial Being's aid, at least. This should keep things from going critical for a while, I'd hope." She notified Patrick, and pleasently noticed his mood improve from the news. "But as such, we have decided that we can't continue working with A-Laws in good conscience. We have decided to move to the next part of our plans."

Patrick's eyes widened in surprise at that. "So it's finally starting, huh?" He took on a serious mood. "What do you want me to do, Colonel?"

She nodded at his promptness. "I need you to bring the supplies indicated on the file I'm sending you now, and the personnel as well. Furthermore, I'm going to need your Angel Squad to assist us from now on. It's all on the list. Make sure to double check, specially the Throne Drei."

"Alrighty. I'll have Carlos give me a hand with all the logistics stuff."

She once again nodded and smiled. Patrick knew how to support himself with his people, a mark of a good leader. "Good. The coordinates are also indicated in that file. We hope to see you soon."

"Yes, Colonel!" He saluted again.

She cut the communications at that, safe in the knowledge that Patrick would be able to fulfill his duty. Leaning back on her chair she took a breath and closed her eyes for a moment.

The moment was now, and it was time to act. She pressed a button on her desk.

"Please begin course towards the following coordinates."

* * *

"Huh, it's strangely comfy for an abandoned base." Louise observed as the Guyana-class docked inside Trinity base. The base itself had been built inside a plateau, with just enough space for both the Trinity mothership and the Guyana-class to dock together. From Kati's point of view it suited them well enough to salvage as much as they could from the old ship, although if she was being honest she wondered if Nena was truly ok with cannibalizing the ship her brothers and her used to employ.

Kati turned to look at Nena as such thought crossed her mind and she saw an expression on the redhead's face that she hadn't seen since back then when Patrick had captured her. Back when she had her death wish. She grew worried.

Nena felt a hand on her shoulder which shook her from her reverie and heard Kati's voice. "Are you ok, Nena?" She was asked.

She turned to look at Kati and smiled. "It's just old memories resurfacing. Don't worry." She placed her own hand over the older woman's own, and squeezed a little. While she was truly feeling a pang of pain from again realizing after a long while that her brothers wouldn't be around ever again, she was still strong enough to cope. She reflected on what she had learned with the psychologist, such emotions were natural and repressing them wasn't a good idea. So she remembered them, took on the sorrow, then managed to move on. Having Kati right behind her did help with that, anyways.

"We don't have to take apart the Trinity mothership if you don't want to." Kati tried.

"It's fine." She replied, weakly. Then realized she was actually ok with it, if she saw it in a certain way. She turned to look straight at Kati. "It's fine, really! I admit I'm a bit sad, but I kinda figure that it's a way to make the old ship transcend. Like, becoming much more than what it was."

Kati smiled at that, glad to once again see that Nena had grown up in the time she had been with her and Patrick. "Very well, then."

* * *

As he looked at the mothership, Andreas' head's cogs turned, faster and faster. While it wasn't quite his specialty, studying the Trinity mothership's blueprints brought him ideas, and, after talking with both Nena and Riya, he figured the three of them could definitely make something much better than just the Mothership and the Guyana-class combined.

"Something like a different beast." He thought out loud. It was innovation at its best, both ships providing an improved mobile base that could quite possibly escape into space by its own. It was exciting.

"Yet there's still the problem with our soon-to-be outdated mobile suits..." He shot his own elation down against his will, recognizing that they still needed a way to bridge the gap between their machines and the other factions' machines. Why, Regene had even already warned them that the enemy would keep releasing improvement after improvement. If they intended to survive they'd need to come up with something, and fast.

"I'll have to go through Professor Katagiri's notes again with Riya." He decided, then turned around. The rest of the crew were busy giving maintenance to the four Team Norns suits, the hangar busy with activiy. And on a desk near the Ahead Efreet Riya gave instructions to some of the engineers. "Oi, Riya!"

She turned at hearing her name and gave a last instruction. "Then please, run the battery of tests as we decided." The engineers nodded and went to work on it, as Riya placed her hands behind her back once Andreas reached her. "You were staring intently at the Mothership, having some more ideas?"

"Yeah!" He reacted, excitedly. "The Guyana-class' mobility issues can definitely be improved with a parallel array of engines from both ships, and the armor problem the Mothership has according to Nena could be solved by the Guyana's plates. It's like a match made in heaven! With more crew we could have a very good base in our posession!" His glasses glinted with reflected light and Riya chuckled at seeing her friend so happy. "Oh, but that's not why I called out for you." Andreas reined himself. "Do you have time right now to go by Professor Katagiri's Trans-Am notes again?"

Before Riya could reply, Regene turned up at where they were as if he was a ghost, earning Andreas a jumpscare against his will. "Excuse me, but I couldn't help but notice you were talking about the Trans-Am system? Oh, my apologies..." He apologized for scaring Andreas.

"It's-" Andy took a deep breath. "It's ok, you just suprised me, Captain."

For her part, and despite herself, Riya found herelf blushing at his sudden appearance. Damn jumpscares messing with her emotions.

Regene simply continued as if nothing had happened. "Well, in any case, it seems like Katagiri is right on the money regarding the Trans-Am system. He left it at the stabilizing component, but it just needs an alloy of Lunarium-37 and it should work as is. Maybe with a shorter operational time but it should do the trick."

To her credit, Riya managed to process the information despite her shaken heart. "But won't that make the engine spit out too many GN Particles for safety? The old Tau drives had a similar issue..."

Andreas seemed lost in thought as Regene mentioned the Lunarium alloy, and commented on his friend's query. "Actually, the Ahead's plates are made of a material that should be able to contain the particles. Or maybe..."

"A particle container!" Riya continued from where he left. "That could even maintain the operational time a little higher than what Regene calculated!"

The innovade reacted in surprise, both at how he wasn't even angry at missing a point and at conducting an interesting conversation with humans. "That should work. Magnificent insight, you two."

"We can do this..." Andreas reflected. "I'll draw up the schematics! Good job, guys!" He ran to his workbench, filled with more and more ideas to draw upon for Team Norns' upgrade.

"Well, what do you know, teamwork does work." Regene crossed his arms as he watched Andreas run. "I must admit, it's fun I didn't expect I'd find with others." He shared.

Once they had finished with the short brainstorming she couldn't help but notice Regene again. She hated how she felt like a teenager when she was around him, but thought that maybe it was simply his uncanny appearance. Boys didn't have any right to be so pretty. "W-well, I'm glad we managed to come up with i-it."

He finally turned to address her and his gaze made her heart skip a beat. "I've decided. I'll help with your endeavours. After all, it is in my best interest to make the best machine we c-are you alright, Miss Bhandari?" He leaned at her and placed a hand on her forehead, which made Riya's face catch on fire. "Your face is flushed, have you perhaps caught a cold?"

There it was, now she understood. His total lack of sense of personal space when he felt comfortable with someone. The analytical part of her mind realized the collection of parameters that made her feel so attracted, yet the other half was in charge in that moment. "Uweeeeh..." Her mouth made a sound quite strange.

"Perhaps you should rest..." Regene suggested in concern, whithdrawing from the closeness and letting Riya's neurons finally kick into activity again.

"N-no, it should be fine. Maybe I'm just a little tired, but I'll manage, hehe..." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "We never know when we might be assaulted after all, we need to be ready as soon as possible." She sharpened her gaze once she had managed to rein in her emotions.

"True enough." He conceded. "Don't push yourself too hard, though."

"I'll be careful." She smiled.

* * *

Memories of the base made Nena feel both at home yet out of place. Her heart had this weird sensation of longing, and apprehension. And a part of her felt like she was betraying her brothers at admitting other people into the base, but was quickly quashed by the realization that in one hand, this place was a captured base under the AEU's jurisdiction, and on the other, the people she was admitting in were close friends and part of her newfound family.

She guessed it was just emotions running their course so she let them slide, aided by the fact that she was resting in Andreas' arms, in her old room, resting on her old bed. While in any other circumstance if they were alone she'd start getting frisky with him, this time her mind was simply wandering, just drawing on support from his presence. He was simply passing his hand through her hair and reading a book anyways, so it was one of those quiet moments which she'd later reflect would be worth their duration in gold.

She was thankful that he never made too many questions even though, admittedly, some girls would think of such a thing as him not giving a kitten's whisker about her. But she knew better and the reason she was thankful was that she prefered keeping the touchier parts of her past as hidden as possible. Maybe with time she'd tell him. For now she was content to spend time like this.

"Hey Andy?" She started, without looking at him.

"Hmmm?" He let her know he had acknowledged her voice as he kept reading.

"Do you think it'll be alright? Do you think...we'll be able to make a difference?" She asked as she deflated from a long kept breath.

He stopped reading, and suspended his pad to continue later. He placed the pad aside and hugged Nena by her shoulders. "Well...it is a great risk we're taking, alright. I mean, we're pretty much traitors now." He began, then rested his chin on her head. He stayed silent for a bit, yet Nena didn't press any further.

"However, I think that what we're doing is fair. What we're trying is just and even if you weren't here and I had learned of what's happening anyways, I'd see if I can help somehow. The army exists to protect the people, not to dominate and subdue them. Really, it's unnecessary to mention it but A-Laws is wrong, no two ways about it."

He finally looked at her, moving so Nena would be able to look at him as well. She thought his eyes were warm. "So we must fight, to protect what's left. If anything we're lucky because we can fight together. So I don't know if we'll be alright, but I know that we must do it because I do know we can make a difference. Did that answer your concerns?" He smiled.

She smiled back at him. "Hehe, yeah, it did." She moved to hug him by his waist and rested her head on his chest. "I guess I just needed you to tell me."

"Well, I'll always be there to tell you, then."

"Really?"

"Really."

He placed a hand on her head, and raised his chest, breathing. Looking at nothing in particular. They both found solace in each other's company, and then, suddenly, a knock was heard on the door.

"Uh, Nena...are you in there? I hope I'm not waking you up." Louise called from behind the door.

"Yeah, Lou. Don't worry, what's wrong?"

"Kati's calling us, it seems there's something going on at the African orbital elevator nearby."

"Alright, I'll be there in a sec." Nena heard a couple knocks in succesion as acknowledgement, then reluctantly lifted her head from Andy's chest. "Guess we should head over to Kati's."

* * *

"Are you serious?! Another one?" Nena yelled in shock and disgust. Apparently A-Laws had a backup for the infernal satellite weapon and according to Sergei, a shot on the orbital elevator was imminent now that the Federation Army's splinter faction had been isolated and made the culprit of a staged attack on civilians.

"I've been contacted by Tieria." Regene told everyone in the room. "They're already en-route to assault Memento Mori II, and as such, they ask for our cooperation in preventing as much destruction as possible." His expression belied the turmoil inside his mind. '_This is my fault. The moment has finally come when my actions reached me and now that I care too much, Tieria and Anew are in a greater risk still. And I can't even blame Ribbons, I knew about this, I knew it beforehand and yet..._'

"Unfortunately there is no time to waste, we must go as we are and avoid the worst that could happen. If they manage to shoot at the elevator the resulting destruction and debris meteorites would utterly annihilate the settlement at the elevator's base. Prepare to leave in thirty minutes. if you have any questions, make them as you move towards the site. Dismissed" Kati hurriedly primed the Norns for the crisis that threatened to happen at any moment. And as soon as she finished, the four of them were already scrambling to reach the hangar and launch.

* * *

"Hey, Soma, you ok? You're trembling." Louise asked in concern. Soma appeared utterly concerned even as she went through the launch checklist.

"I'll be fine, don't mind me. It's merely the risk everyone at the elevator will be under." The silver-haired leader of the Norns lied. She knew Sergei was there and she knew the satellite would shoot at any moment now. Yet they were unable to launch any faster.

"All ready to go, Lieutenant Smirnoff." She finally heard the crew notify her, and she steeled her gaze.

"Roger that. Is everyone ready?" She asked the rest of her team.

"I'm ready." Regene curtly notified her.

"Good to go here, Sommy." Nena also let everyone know.

"Anytime, Soma." Louise also told her. "Litchi, we need to protect everyone!" She turned to see her copilot Haro and smiled warmly.

"For justice! For justice!" Litchi waved its noodly arms in agreement.

"Very well. Norns, launching!" Soma ordered her team, and at the same time, almost in unison, four mobile suits turned on their engines and propelled outside the base right as the hangar's doors opened. "We will not allow a tragedy to happen!" She valiantly declared, and pushed her suit to the limit.

* * *

"Pang, your forces need to retreat! This elevator will fall any moment now!" Sergei tried to reason with his old friend, the leader of the splinter faction that conducted the military coup to let the world know about the atrocities A-Laws commited on a daily basis. "The civilians should be fine now at the elevator's base!"

The other man in the room simply closed his eyes, his expression severe. His bearded face and built physique said a lot about Pang Hercury's customs, his way of life. His dedication to being in top condition to better serve the people of the Federation. Even at his fifties the man was still a sturdy-bodied person, and after the various conflicts he had been in he thought he was prepared for anything, he knew that what they were doing was just. Yet this had gotten out of hand very quickly and if he was being honest he didn't know where to take this now. The only thing he knew was that they couldn't fall back, not like this.

Not while the whole world remained ignorant.

"I'm sorry, Sergei. You're right, of course. You're right but...I can't." He finally turned around. "I've lost so many good men today, and leaving like this." He sighed in sadness. "It's spitting on the lifes they honorably gave for what they believed in. And even so..."

Pang walked towards Sergei, and placed his hands on the Wild Bear's shoulders. "Sergei, take my remaining men away with you. You do need to escape from here."

"You surely cannot mean...this isn't a ship, Pang! What will your death serve for?!"

"In the final moments, perhaps I can still reach the people. I don't know."

"We're also fighting, Pang! Me and my people, we also know! You don't need to sacrifice yourself, come with me and live to fight another day! We could use your abilities, your reputation!"

Hercury sighed once more. "What reputation, my friend? All the reputation I had is gone now, and I'm alright with that."

"Then your skill!"

Hercury smiled warmly at his old friend. "I do believe we're done here, old friend. But at least I can go ahead kn-" A quake shook them from their feet and floored them both, with whatever had impacted the elevator shaking it to the core. "What was that?!"

"It can't be...they mean to destroy it already?! There's still civilians around!" He turned to Hercury, barely contained rage and concern on his face. "We need to go out and help whoever we can!"

Perhaps from the conversation they had had, or perhaps because he already harbored doubts. Or maybe because of the fear he head naturally felt, he knew this wasn't the moment to hesitate. The mobile suits were waiting and they had to protect the people. "Indeed. Very well!" He got up and started running by Sergei's side whiloe talking on his radio. "Alders, ready the mobile suit flight, we're going out to protect the civilians!"

* * *

"They're already wailing on Memento Mori II." Regene told everyone as they saw the elevator at the distance. "Hopefully we'll manage to arrive to help whoever can escape."

"I hope so..." Soma wished out loud.

"There's a lot of A-Laws there...shit, I think they see us!" Nena noticed as the enemy suits turned to them.

"Lieutenant Smirnoff, why did you not report back after the last assignment?! Surrender your weapons and present your mobile suits for detention, for the crime of desertion!" A communication was heard on the team's link, which still had A-Laws' frequencies loaded.

"I'm afraid we can't do that, soldier." Soma replied, dejected. "But surely you cannot think about fighting over a civilian settlement, though? I implore you to reconsider."

"So not only desertion, but treason. With me, Cerberus squadron!" Eight suits began moving towards their direction, with clear intentions to shoot them down.

"I guess they're not up for a chat." Nena quiped. "What are we doing, boss?"

"Do not engage! Merely dodge while heading further in, we cannot risk civilian casualties due to fighting!"

"I suggest going upwards to join Celestial Being. It might be safer to present battle at the stratosphere and with backup." Regene observed, being careful to speak on the team's exclusive frequency.

"Very well. We'll follow that plan, upwards!" Soma agreed.

"I'll go on ahead, then!" Louise announced as she pushed her suit with its characteristic speed. "Mister Regene, it would help if we could contact ceebee!"

"One second..." He contacted Tieria on his mind and let him know their plan as fast as he could, then received the codes for Celestial Being's safe communications channel. "I'm sending it through."

"Well, this is a surprise! I guess we're fighting together now, huh?" The jovial voice of Lockon Stratos was almost immediately heard on the team's comms, as a sort of welcome.

"So it'd seem, doodle." Nena took it in stride, as she followed Louise upwards. "How're things going over there?"

"We have Memento Mori II in check. It will go down anytime now!" A female voice sounded. "Quickly, Setsuna, take it down!"

"Saji, engage Trans-Am!" They heard a voice they all remembered as the shadow's voice. And Louise for her part felt partially shocked to hear that Saji apparently was not only with them, but also fighting. Yet she decided to keep quiet for the moment to not interrupt whatever operations they were conducting. With elation she soon after heard his voice, focused on his task.

"Trans-Am, released! Raiser sword ready!" Saji gave Setsuna the go-ahead.

"Begone! Raiser Sword!" Setsuna called out as he motioned to strike down the satellite cannon.

"Watch out! Sharp energy spike! No way..." Allelujah observed in terror how the weapon still had one shot on it before its imminent destruction. "It's shooting!"

Just as the gigantic Raiser Sword struck Memento Mori, a short lived but intense beam was released. They barely avoided the absolute worst yet the beam still managed to impact the elevator.

"No, this can't be..." The same female voice was heard again. "It's still going to fall down! Everyone at the settlement is in danger!"

"Shit!" Nena cursed out loud, and in the fraction of a second she reacted. "Stop gawking, people, we need to shoot down the debris!"

"We're still being hounded by A-Laws." Regene observed. "Choose now."

"Damnit!" Soma hit the side of her cockpit. "No other choice, our priority is the elevator's debris, take down as many fragments as possible while evading confrontation, go!"

"We'll help out!" Tieria exclaimed immediately after.

"Wait, isn't that..." Lockon looked ahead and saw a dettachment of blue mobile suits. Enacts and Tierens in the colors of Kataron. And then he saw another small flight of mobile suits slightly behind them from what appeared to be the Federation army. "Seems like everyone came to the crisis!"

As both Norns and Celestial Being prepared to destroy the debris, they heard Sumeragi's voice. "Please, everyone in the area! We need to work together, fragments of the orbital elevator will impact the ground and annihilate the settlement if we don't do something! I implore you, lend us your aid, if only for this one time!" She pleaded to the numerous A-Laws squadrons against hope.

Surprisingly, though, they listened. "You will answer for your crimes soon enough but I agree." The leader of Cerberus squadron declared. "Everyone, protect the people! Take down the debris!"

In an unprecedented moment, the Federation army, A-Laws, Kataron, Celestial Being and the Norns worked together to defend the populace. Fragments of the orbital elevator propelled themselves downwards promising destruction but the numerous mobile suits took down one after the other, a spectacle of fireworks shocking and bringing hope to the people at the elevator's surface settlement. They wouldn't die today.

"We can do this!" Allelujah claimed with joy. "It's dying out now, keep going!" As he kept shooting down the fragments he felt a mobile suit softly place itself to his Arios' back for a full coverage of their surroundings.

"Even in this crisis, being able to work by your side is pleasant, I must confess." He heard his dear Marie say.

Still taking down fragments, his eyes and his lips spoke of warm feelings. "I agree. In this moment, we show the engineers at Home that we have challenged our fate. We're instruments of hope now."

Soma smiled at that, and immediately afterwards sharpened her gaze to destroy fragment after fragment.

"I guess love can truly bloom in the field of battle, eh?" Lockon quipped.

"No bullying the Sommy." Nena scolded him without tearing her gaze off the orbital elevator's fragments.

"I-I'm not bullying her! Hey!" He defended himself, then felt Haro's hand give him a soft whack on his head.

"Eyes on the target! Eyes on the target!" The orange robot scolded him now.

"Ok, alright, jeez!"

"Less than 10% of the fragments are left!" Regene suddenly heard Anew's voice over the comms and stopped shooting for a moment. _'Anew...you sound well.'_ He thought with joy. Even if he was sure of her safety with Tieria taking care of her, he still felt that warmth he had discovered back then fill him at hearing Anew. He took down several fragments down once he returned to his duties, and thought once more of his younger siblings. _'I managed to keep them safe somehow. I'm glad.'_

And amongst the dwindling chaos, one of A-Laws' mobile suits drew closer to the Soma's silver machine. "It's good to see you safe, Soma." Andrei called out to his surrogate sister.

As the fragments' fall finally died out, she turned to see him. "Andrei?! You were here, too?" Allelujah pulled back carefully, attentive in case the A-Laws soldier decided to attack once the crisis had been averted.

"At ease, sister. I didn't come to strike at you. If anything, I'm simply glad to see you safe and sound. I merely was around because I heard father had been assigned to try and convince the coup forces to fall back."

"Yes, so it'd seem. Have you come to arrest them, then?"

"Hopefully they won't resist. Whatever their reason, that was not the way to do things, they placed the population at risk." He sentenced. The little time they had spent back then when they pursued Celestial Being, and specially after she was rescued from the island had done wonders for their family's bonds but that same reforged bond had steeled his resolve. In following after his father and mother's footsteps.

"Perhaps you're right." She conceded.

"I think you also have your issues and reasons for doing...whatever it is you're doing. I hope it doesn't come to conflict between us." He confessed.

"Andrei, I..." She tried, then saw their father's mobile suit approach them, escorted by another Federation mobile suit. She hesitated. "Father is here."

Turning around, he noticed the two suits. "Father." He called out. "I suppose that's the coup's leader?"

"Andrei, you must not attack this man. I beseech you to reconsider." Sergei pleaded at his son, sure that he would try to strike down Pang.

Surprisingly enough, Andrei didn't turn to violence. "Don't worry, father, it is not my place to exact justice." He then turned to Hercury's mobile suit. "Colonel Pang Hercury, please surrender your troops and accompany me. It needs not come to a battle between our forces. You have still commited a crime, whatever your cause was." If he was being honest he felt there was something off with the whole deal but a fact still remained. "You placed the people in danger."

Sergei fell silent, he knew that at least that accusation was true.

"I understand, but I must know if I'll be at least allowed a martial court." Pang Hercury decided. He had felt the guilt devour him from the inside for that very same reason, even if it was for the good of the world. Even if it was to expose A-Laws he didn't want them to come to further danger.

"Of course. Now, if you would follow me." Andrei extended his lance in invitation. "Father, Soma, hopefully we will see each other soon." He paused. "I don't know what's happening but I'm no fool, for some reason I feel that there's more to all this." He admitted. "But I think you're treading a very dangerous path." He warned.

"I wish I could tell you, Andrei." Soma said, in sadness. "But it would be foolish to do so here."

Andrei lowered his gaze, and smirked. "Yes, I suppose so. Well th-" As he prepared himself to round up the rest of the coup forces he saw a quickly approaching line of white light. Obviously a mobile suit. "What...is that?" He inquired out loud.

"That suit looks familiar..." Soma replied.

As the rest of the Norns and Celestial Being heard Soma, they turned to look at the suit, and noticed that it wasn't the only one. And Setsuna knew them all too well. Two Gadessas followed by two Garazzos approached both Norns and Celestial Being forces with aggressive movements.

"Prepare for battle!" Soma called out quickly and everyome primed themselves for the conflict.

Thinking quickly, Louise cried out loud in complain. "No, Soma, we can't fight so close to the elevator, the structure is too weak now!"

"Beyond the stratosphere, now!" Sumeragi half-proposed, half-ordered. "Get away from the area and present battle there!"

"Wait, Soma!" Andrei called out to his quickly departing sister. _'Damnit, I won't stand by idly while she's in danger!'_ His protective instinct spurred him onwards and he followed after her. He remembered all too well what had happened back then, when she had nearly lost her life figthing the Orange Gundam, when she protected him from sure death. It was his turn now.

"No, Andrei!" Sergei also followed after, knowing he'd probably get in the way. While he was also worried about Soma since he didn't know the enemy's capabilities, he knew she had the backup of very experienced pilots with very advanced machines as well. He needed to get his son out of such high risk.

* * *

"Damnit, my energy reserves are low!" Nena called out. "Freaking perfect timing, you jerks!" She complained in anger as she kept dodging the shots one of the Gadessas released generously.

"Our numbers are greater, though. Let's overwhelm them!" Allelujah reassured his redheaded ally while drawing in fire from one of the Garazzos.

"You have reached a safe altitude now!" Mileina reminded both teams as she noticed they were far enough from the elevator.

"Supportive fire, now!" Sumeragi ordered.

"I'm on it!" Rasse acknowledged the order.

"Hahahaha!" Hiling laughed in absolute joy. "Oh, Master Ribbons, when you promise something, you certainly deliver. What joyous conflict!" She shot left and right without care, her foes sluggily and barely dodging.

"Fight more seriously, Hiling Care. Remember our priority" Bring Stability scolded his teammate as he let loose precise shots that impacted on the Cherudim's shield bits.

"Yeah yeah, but hey! If we can have a little fun...why not?" She smirked as she placed the golden Ahead on her rifle's sight and shot a lethal shot at the cockpit.

"Go tend to your actual targets, Hiling Care." He chastised her again stoically.

"Fine..." Hiling conceded and departed to look for the silver Ahead and the Orange Gundam.

* * *

"Aaaaah!" Louise suddenly screamed as the 00 Gundam suddenly appeared and parried a shot she hadn't noticed, managing to avoid certain death.

"Louise, are you ok?!" She heard Saji's voice.

"Saji? Are you piloting that one?" She asked as she employed her submachine gun for diversionary fire.

"He's co-piloting with me." Setsuna corrected her as he kept providing backup.

"Louise, let's protect each other. Cover our back and we'll cover yours!" Saji proposed in the spur of the moment. Even if they probably didn't need protection with their 00 Raiser he wanted to keep Louise alive. He hoped Setsuna understood.

Thankfully, Setsuna remained his stoic self.

"Ok! I'm in your care, guys!" She nodded as they both kept parrying and shooting towards their only enemy. "Damnit, I don't think we can even get a hit in!"

"The Raiser Sword used up most of our particles." Setsuna provided as an excuse. "We'll need to remain on the defensive while Sumeragi comes up with a counter-offensive."

A male voice invaded their communications, which they inferred was from their enemy. "Aren't you lucky? My orders are merely to shake you up." Devine taunted his enemy hoping they'd get careless. Approaching in for another series of strikes he kept them on the defensive still, his Long Claw threatening to rip them apart at every hit they barely managed to parry.

"He's too fast..." Setsuna lamented. If he didn't have to defend Halevy he could probably maneuver boldly but as it was he could leave her vulnerable if he didn't keep parrying.

"I got an idea! Litchi, navigate Mr. Regetta's mine once I release it!" Louise remembered the containment mines and gambled on the possibility.

"Regetta? Regene Regetta, you mean?" Devine Nova recognized the name. "So he's still playing make-believe." As he saw the mine approach he directed a slice at it, but watched as the small device sharply maneuvered in between his claws. "What the..." The mine deployed once it stuck on him and released a jolt that was almost enough to shock him into unconciousness, but thanks to the mobile suit's armor was little more than an inconvenience.

But that was enough for the beleaguered duo to place some distance. "That...was some quick thinking." Saji observed, impressed.

"I've had good teachers." Louise smirked in confidence.

"Let's do a triangle assault on him." Setsuna. "Saji!"

"I got it!" Without further words Saji understood and deattached himself from the back of the 00 Gundam.

Louise also understood and went in from the remaining angle of their formation. With Saji keeping the enemy dodging the repeated shots from the Raiser, Louise and Setsuna managed to slice apart the Claw arm in a scissor combined assault.

"Damnit, you cheaters!" Devine barked in anger. "Now I'm pissed off!"

* * *

"Well, who would've thought, here we are back-to-back." Regene chuckled as he observed the situation he was in, with his back to the Seravee Gundam.

"At least we have a trusty partner at each other's back." Tieria smiled.

"Too bad we're running out of GN Particles."

"We'll think of something."

As the battle started Revive had hidden behind a tiny nearby asteroid and kept pelting them with his long rifle. Shooting at them that way, in silence, he knew he'd eventually pierce their defenses and destroy them both with such a shot. "Just remain there, turtles..." He murmured impassively, then released a shot and hid again behind passing debris.

The Seravee's GN Field took the brunt of the blast and it momentarily flickered. "Tough circumstances." Tieria said behind gritted teeth.

"Quite insidious, I agree..."

From the Ptolomaios bridge, Anew kept navigating the radar to glance the enemy's position. She knew that at this rate they'd fall and decided it was her highest priority to help Mr. Tieria and this Mr. Regene person. As she kept scouring the map she reflected in the back of her mind that the name ringed some sort of bell...

Once again Revive shot and hid, and this time the Ahead Hoplite diverted it with one of the GN Field Mines he had prepared beforehand. While the suit didn't have enough energy to power his shield's GN Field anymore, Regene could move the devices in space's lower gravity and move them immediately where they were needed. "Unfortunately, I have but one mine left." He lamented out loud.

"Perhaps if we reroute our energy into the Seravee?" Tieria suggested.

"Then we'd only buy time and be left with no means to strike back. Keep thinking."

As she kept hearing their conversation she felt a small drop of cold sweat on her forehead. Time was running low.

And then she saw a small flicker. "Mr. Tieria. Mr. Regene. 24 minutes, 9 seconds to your upper right." In a murmur she let them know.

Regene closed his eyes and smiled. Even without knowing each other in her current state his little Anew kept helping him. "I'm directing what I have left of energy to you, Tieria."

Once Tieria saw the particles finish charging, he heard an order in his mind._ 'Now!' _He turned sharply and let loose a powerful bazooka blast with all the power they had left.

Revive's rifle finished charging and as he prepared for the second to last shot he heard a sharp warning alarm at the very last moment. The impact blew off his rifle and his suit's right arm completely off, the heat of the blast quickly rising then diminishing inside his cockpit. "Damn you, Regene Regetta!" He cursed out loud.

"Why, thank you but it wasn't just me. My darling siblings helped me." He spoke without thinking in the elation of a plan well performed with the little resources they had. Yet somehow Anew didn't register the weirdness in the statement.

* * *

"Man, they just won't let us off!" Lockon complained as one of his pistols was split in half by Bring's sword. He was about to receive a claw strike but the Ahead Efreet parried it with a huge blade lit up with GN Particles. Yet he could tell the particles on the blade were already running low.

"We gotta do something!" Nena slashed upwards trying to slice the Garazzo in half but to no avail. From the newly acquired distance, the Garazzo drew out a small rifle and pelted them again with precise shots which were taken by the shield bits. Thankfully for them the shots weren't powerful enough to destroy any bits but they both knew the enemy merely used those as diversionary tactics.

"I know, damnit! You think I don't know?!"

"Lockon, don't get angry! Lockon, don't get angry!" Haro warned its pilot.

"Think more carefully! Think more carefully!" Angura for its part did the same, urging its partner to perform better.

"Great, scolded by spherebots." Lockon quipped bitterly.

Nena rolled her eyes at his complaining. "Well, they're right. I don't wanna die here, Patter's gonna kill me otherwise! Ohshi-" Her small talk was cut short by a flying blade that took her by surprise and that fortunately got caught in a shield bit. "Thanks."

"Lockon, keep him distracted, I got him on my sights." Lockon heard Rasse's suggesting a plan.

"Alright." He murmured, then blocked more shots. "Just hurry."

Nena moved in to block the huge claw yet again, and the upper half of her Zwei Blade got scratched badly, powering down as the enemy once more took distance. "Haaaaa...sorry, Riya, Andy." She thought of the work her friends would have to pull in to repair the blade. "Why does he move so much?! I can't snipe him like this!"

Bring once again closed in, and as they decided which part to sacrifice to survive the charge, a shot from the Ptolomaios crossed its path, coming very short to vaporizing the suit. Bring simply stopped sharply and once again got distance.

"Whatever their goal, this guy's merely keeping us occupied." Lockon observed.

"Arrrrgggh, I hate hiiiiiiim!" Nena grabbed her hair in distress and screamed, frustration furrowing her brows.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Marie. I'm a liability as it is now." Allelujah apologized to Marie, after losing the left leg and the right arm from the Gadessa's repeated assault. Out of missiles, and almost out of GN Particles the Arios hid behind Soma's Ahead Pike, seeing her fully on the defensive, parrying the shots she could with her whirling lance then dodging all the others, moving Arios with her arm.

"Don't worry, our allies are fighting valiantly and seem to be geting the upper hand. Soon they'll join us." She thought of her remaining resources, a couple GN Field mines, 30% of her particle reservoir and more than half of her vulcans. It would cut close but she could handle it.

"Look out!" Allelujah called out. One of the two remaining GN Field mines deployed and exploded from the blast.

"Mice should await their fate obediently!" They heard the trill from the girl opposing them, likening them to a cat's prey.

"Kittens should remain drinking milk." Soma retorted with a glare and scowl.

"Ooooh, you disrespectful little..." Despite being a weak reply, their daring incensed Hiling. How dare these inferior humans resist like this?

"Sumeragi! We need support here!" Allelujah called out.

"One second, Mr. Haptism!" He heard Mileina's voice reply. "Setsuna is almost done with his enemy and then he'll back you up! We got our hands full here keeping Mr. Lockon and Ms. Trinity safe!"

"Thank you, Ptolomaios crew." Soma thanked them from the bottom of her heart for keeping Nena safe. "We'll handle it here somehow until Setsuna arrives."

Another GN Field mine blew apart for protecting them from once more shot. "Come and plaaaay, mousey mice!" They heard Hiling's taunt. And soon after that they heard one more voice that chilled Soma's blood.

"Soma!"

"Andrei?! What are you doing here?!" She demanded to know. Why had he come, it wasn't safe here!

"It's my turn to protect you, sister!" Andrei justified himself. Placing himself in front of the Ahead Pike he took on a defensive stance and looked around trying to find the enemy. "Where are they?"

"No, Andrei, you must leave, the enemy is using a long distance rifle!" Soma pleaded to her brother. And then she saw the glint of the Gadessa in the distance at the very last minute. "LOOK OUT!" She lunged forward and threw her lance with all her suit's might, intercepting the blast's trajectory and exploding in the process.

"I see them!" In yet more recklesness born of filial love Andrei shot forward, in an attempt to take down the enemy.

"Eeeeeeh? More little mice for this one? Don't mind if I do!" Hiling's playful phrase felt utterly bloodcurling to Soma.

"Andrei, come back! ANDREEEEI!" She screamed in desperation, advancing as well, but then she heard yet another voice she didn't want to hear in this battlefield.

"Andrei!" Sergei yelled. "We need to get out, hurry!" He also pursued Andrei, freezing Soma from the terror of seeing her family at risk of dying.

That moment was all Hiling needed. "Well, it seems someone has been a very good girl lately!" Hiling praised herself, then prepared to take down the two vulnerable Jinxes.

"Father! Andrei!" Soma finally reacted, and momentarily forgetting about Allelujah she launched ahead in desperation. She wouldn't let her family die.

Sergei's yell made Andrei turn for a moment. "Father, you should have waited back at the elevator!"

"Aaaaaand it's meal time!" Hiling placed her targetting system fully on the closest GN-X, and pulled the trigger.

"Andrei!" Soma cried with tears in her eyes.

"ANDREI!" Sergei yelled at the same time, and then the seconds became hours as everything happened slow, much too slow, for the Smirnoff family.

Andrei turned around once he heard his sister and father scream and saw the glint of the enemy's rifle begin to illuminate with particles. Frozen in terror he thought of his mother, and of his father. He thought of his recently found new sister and all he could think was how he wished he could have had at least one christmas with her. He closed his eyes...

...and then opened them again in disbelief. How could he still be alive? Looking everywhere around him the answer chilled him to the bone.

The impact he had felt yet hadn't paid attention to had been his father's GN-X pushing him from the beam's trajectory. A hole splitting three fourth's of the mobile suit vertically in a curve was the evidence of the powerful impact.

Inside the cockpit, Sergei coughed blood. Half of his body had been vaporized, yet he felt no pain. At least he had saved his son, though. Feeling his life ebbing away, he still felt it was his responsibility to leave one last indication to his son and to his daughter. "Andrei...S-Soma..." He coughed. "Love ea-each other. Take...take..." He caught some breath. "Take care of e-" His phrase was interrupted by his suit finally breaking apart in a violent explosion, the glow of the raging flame like a new, minuscule star.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH, BASTAAAAAAAARD!" Andrei screamed in rage and tossed his sabers towards the enemy. Perhaps because she was simply priming her rifle once more like a hunter that had just shot down a duck she didn't even pay attention until the sabers lodged themselves in it.

"Wha-" She yelped in surprise, then let the rifle go. Moving quickly she got away from the incoming explosion. "You naughty mice, look what you did!" As she prepared to go in and disembowel them she heard her beloved Ribbons' voice.

"My dear children, your mission is over. The objective has been met. Return to me."

"As you wish, master Ribbons." Hiling cooed. "You lucky, lucky mice! Be thankful for Master Ribbons' mercy! Bye bye!" She waved cutely and departed.

"Mission complete." Bring declared curtly, then stopped as his claw was about to split the Cherudim's leg apart without any further words.

"Well, damn. I guess I'll leave my reprisal for another time." Devine complained, but obeyed nonetheless.

"This isn't over, Regetta." Revive threatened, then left as well.

* * *

Through it all, Soma remained frozen and Allelujah approached her suit carefully. "Marie?"

Her distorted smile and wide open eyes reflected the struggle going inside her heart and mind, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Her mind breaking apart in that moment, for something unthinkable occured. But it was lie, surely it was a lie.

"I'm just having a nightmare."

She remembered the Colonel asking her if she was fine, all those years ago, when she almost destroyed a part of the space elevator.

The fireball that was a moment ago Sergei Smirnoff's mobile suit released the fusion in low orbit. But surely it was a lie. Her father wasn't dead. In a moment of mental regression she thought her daddy was just hiding.

"He'll just turn up in a moment!"

She remembered when Colonel Smirnoff begged her to leave him behind, to get to safety after taking down the Kyrios Gundam, almost four years ago.

She held her head in between her hands. Her still wide-open eyes and lunatic, distorted mockery of a smile remained. And she kept repeating her mantra. "He'll turn up in a moment!"

Daddy.

Dad. Father. Colonel Smirnoff...

She remembered Sergei asking her to become his daughter legally. Even though they were already living like that anyways. She remembered how they chuckled at that observation.

"Father, show up already! We need to get out of here!" Frantically looking around she searched for him, pointedly ignoring the receding, bright reaction from the destroyed mobile suit that was Sergei Smirnoff's minutes ago. "Father!" She repeated. Dumb old man, they needed to get out!

"Father, where are you?!"

She remembered that christmas they spent with Nena and Captain Patrick, and Colonel Mannequin. She remembered that warm sweater he had given her, one of her most precious possessions.

Still looking she turned to one side and the other. And the remains of whatever sanity she had spoke out to her. He was gone.

"Dad? You can't be dead. You're invincible! Father..."

Andrei approached his sister. His stupidity had costed them dearly, his recklesness. But he'd punish himself later, now he had to be the strong one. It was a funny thing, how now that he was starting to get along with his father again, this happened.

But he'd obey his father's words. For him and for what remained of his family now. His sister needed him.

"Soma, we need to go back!"

"Andrei? Where's dad? We gotta go back with him!"

She remembered how Father hugged her tight when she accepted becoming his daughter for real.

"Soma..."

He took her mobile suit by the arm and Soma jerked it off. "Let go! We can't go back without him!"

"Soma!"

"He'll show up soon! Father!" She screamed once again. But her sliver of sanity spoke again. "No, no, dad, this can't be real. You c-can't be dead. Father!"

She heard his last words in her mind, could even see his gallant smile. _'Andrei. Soma. Love each other. Take care of each other.'_

_**"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**_

* * *

Well, there you have it. For a while I was still undecided what to do about this part in the series which, while similar, will have a little bit different repercusions. You'll see on the following chapters what I mean.

I really didn't want to do it, to kill based Papa Bear but...I realized it was necessary for what was to come. For a while I was thinking of killing Andrei or to just not kill anybody. Why, I even had some more scenes of the Smirnoffs being together but I guess that won't come to pass. Maybe I'll publish it after the story's done as some sort of side-stories (because I have a few more about this ASoC "universe" that didn't quite make it to the end version).

In any case, I hope you enjoyed it and as always, I thank you again for your reads, favs and reviews. We're at 5 chapters from the end and this is only going to get even more poignant. With that said, I'll see you when I manage to finish the next chapter. Bye!


	25. Don't rest just yet

I kinda wanted to finish this before the holidays, give you guys a little gift. Unfortunately my job had another idea and I barely finished it today. I guess you can at least enjoy it just as many of you go back to your activities. Hopefully.

Anyways, here we are on chapter 22. I'd like to take this moment, as always, to thank you for your reads, reviews and favorites. I'm glad it has resonated so far with many of you. I've always thought Nena deserved more than what she got as a character and I'm happy many of you seem to think that way as well.

But enough of this, let's get on with the chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 22 - Don't rest just yet**

Once he arrived at the Trinity Base, Patrick noticed a gloomy atmosphere around the place. He dreaded the implications but managed to take a breath he was holding once he saw Nena and Kati safe and sound. Yet once they reached him they had let him know the terrible news.

How Colonel Smirnoff was now dead.

Yet the worst part was how it wasn't even a planned elimination mission for the enemy. No, their true objective was something even crueler. And he kept listening the news from his portable device and confirming Colonel Kati's suspicions once again while the newscaster spoke.

"The representative of A-Laws before the Federation government has been recorded saying that the assault on the African Orbital Elevator was staged by terrorist forces composed of Katharon and Celestial Being, and furthermore aided by the coup splinter faction." The device now displayed scenes of A-Laws shooting down debris fragments and -only- A-Laws. No images were shown of Celestial Being suits, or Katharon suits, or any other suits that weren't A-Laws. Whoever was responsible for the footage had most definitely been in A-Laws' payroll.

"It's like that everytime, boss." He heard Will say from behind him. "Those in power are the ones that tell the tale."

Patrick simply grunted in disapproval. And despite that being such an insidious manipulation of the facts, it wasn't close to being the worse. No, they were about to tell the worse part soon enough, as they had kept doing everytime they told the story.

"Despite the best efforts of A-Laws, the people in the elevator's ground settlement suffered extensive injuries and even death, owed to continued assault from the terrorist factions on the civilian populace." Now the device showed scenes of thousands dead from an attack conducted by...someone. Someone working for A-Laws most likely, but he wanted to think the main army of A-Laws wouldn't stoop so low, to wanton civilian murder. He kept hoping that perhaps the masterminds behind it all had subcontracted such atrocity. But anything further was baseless speculation. "General Katagiri of A-Laws was questioned about the incident and he stated the following." The footage changed and General Katagiri's image appeared, standing before many reporters.

"Unfortunately, our forces were barely enough to both contain the terrorists and prevent the impact of debris over the settlement. As we kept fighting on two fronts at the same time, we tried to do too much with our reduced forces and in the end, we simply didn't have enough assests. That is all." In the footage, the general tried walking away amongst a chorus of questions shouted at him. "No more questions!" He barked turning half back as he kept walking away from the cameras. Then the newscaster's face appeared again.

"The Federation's United Government has issued an announcement of legislative sessions being held over the following weeks to decide on the appropriate course of action, as a response to the increasingly violent means the terrorists are c-" The device suddenly powered down at Patrick's order, having had enough of lies.

"So much bullshit..." He murmured, utterly angered. He supposed that at least they had announced that Colonel Smirnoff had fallen in the line of duty, valiantly fighting to save the populace. He had received a posthumous Medal of Valor and the Order of the Snow Flower in a poignant military ceremony. Yet none from his family had been able to attend.

He lowered his gaze and thought of poor Soma. The girl had understandbly remained shut inside her room in Trinity Base for a week already, and her brother, Nenners and that Allelujah guy had been the only ones that managed to enter the girl's room. Nenners had even told him that Soma would barely eat anything, and only because they opened her mouth and slid the food inside. As if she was some kind of doll.

"This is very fucked up..." He thought, then got up from his seat at the base's mess hall. Closely followed by Will in silence, they headed over to the hangar to continue their duties.

* * *

"Sumeragi, thank you, again." Allelujah spoke with his commander in the remote video screen. As soon as the ill-fated fight with Ribbon's forces had ended, he had requested to go with Soma back to their base to try and comfort her in any way he could, and Sumeragi had assured him it would be ok, and that they'd manage. She had surmised they wouldn't assault them anytime soon in any case, especially because they had managed to strike a very harsh blow on them already anyways. It had also been a surprise when Anew asked to come with him as well, the lilac-haired woman justifying her request with the delivery of the reason for Allelujah's gratefulness towards his leader.

"It's quite alright, Allelujah. After all, they're sort of our allies already and without enough people to pilot, keeping the GN Archer would have been a liability. It's better if they can use it somehow."

"Their engineers are already studying it and the blueprints carefully and they think they can put together more copies of the machine, given time. Hopefully that will narrow the advantage that the innovade forces have even further."

"Yes, that was part of my reason, as well. Besides, knowing that Kati is with them, I'm sure they'll make good use of the mobile suit. It's also a way to keep Soma safe, having her pilot a better machine." Once she mentioned Soma's name, Allelujah's mood sombered, which didn't go unnoticed by Sumeragi. "Has she gotten out of her room, yet?"

He lowered his gaze and shook his head. "Unfortunately, it's already a struggle to get her to eat. Her brother, Nena and me take turns keeping an eye on her twenty-four-seven."

She leaned back on her seat, her gaze lowering as well. "I can understand that. I can remember when I..." Her mind wandered to the time when Emilio had just died, the utter despair she had felt. She could sympathize with the girl. "In any case, although we're fine so far, we'll need you and Anew to come back by next week. Hopefully you guys can achieve some progress in helping Soma cope a bit."

"I understand. We'll do as you say."

"Thank you, Allelujah. I'm sorry to make you come back after such little time."

"No no, it's quite alright. They could assault the Ptolomaios in any moment and we'll need everyone to present battle, should the need arise."

She nodded. "Well then, I won't take anymore of your time. Do your best." Sumeragi smiled warmly at him.

"Understood. We'll see you soon, then." As he said his goodbyes, the screen turned off and he got up from his seat, heading straight for the base's kitchen, nodding at the passing man whose name he could recall was Patrick Colasour, in greeting. The man waved back in acknowledgement, and Allelujah resumed his path, where he found Anew Returner working on something.

"It smells like cookies." He commented.

She suddenly turned, apparently so absorbed on her activity that she hadn't noticed. "Oh, Allelujah! You surprised me!" She placed a hand on her chest in relief.

"My apologies." He grinned dejectedly.

"Heh, it's quite alright." She waved the apology as unnecessary, taking a step back to show the tray covered in non-baked cookies. "I am indeed baking some cookies. For Miss Smirnoff." She informed her comrade, which earned her a grateful smile from him.

"Thank you, Miss Returner. I'm sure they'll help her regain some of her spirit." He said honestly. Everyone knew Anew's cookies were rather otherwordly in their taste and could renew someone's vigor with a bite.

"Yes, that's the aim here. Although they might be too many for a first try..." She reflected out loud while placing a finger to the side of her cheek. Then a stray thought came to her. "Do you think...maybe Mister Regetta will take some?"

"Tieria's twin? I...guess? I'm not sure, he seems rather serious for something like cookies." He replied. He couldn't see that man, or even Tieria for that matter eating cookies. Then again, Tieria did love Anew's cookies, maybe the same would be true for that Regene guy. "Why him though? I'm sure Halevy or Trinity must have a sweet tooth. I mean, if you don't want the rest to go to waste."

"Not you?" She teased.

"I'm sorry, I'm not very fond of sweets. Even if your cookies _are_ marvelous." He apologized again, rubbing the back of his head.

"That's gonna make me cry..." She pouted, to which Allelujah opened his eyes wide as saucers in terror. "...not! I'm sorry! I just felt like teasing."

"Lockon's really rubbing off on you, I see..." He observed, deflating at the easy target he had become. "But anyways, I didn't just come here to chat. I was talking with Sumeragi a moment ago, and she told me we need to be back in about a week."

"I see, very well. Then I hope Miss Smirnoff feels better by the time we have to leave."

"Yeah, me too..."

* * *

Right now it was Nena's turn to take care of Soma and, if she was being honest, the bond they shared made her feel somehow blue as well. She supposed it helped a bit to empathize even more but if she wasn't careful she would sometimes feel truly depressed herself until she noticed. And remembering Pops Smirnoff on her own volition didn't help matters.

She shook her head once she noticed she was falling for utter sadness yet again and felt Soma shift in her embrace of the slightly tinier woman. She also knew how it hurt to lose people you loved. Family. So she simply offered her warmth to her and said nothing, unless it was something necessary like instructing her to eat. Leaning a bit to study Soma's eyes, she saw how they remained vacant, tired. Nena placed her chin on top of Soma's head after that, and sighed.

But what to do? It had already been a week and they could be assaulted in any moment. Were they in a peaceful state, she'd rather have Soma take all the time she needed to process the situation and cope properly. But like this everyone would be in danger. She supposed at least Allelujah was around so they wouldn't be undermanned. She managed to dispel a little of her own sadness by imagining fighting by Al's side, how curious it would be.

Then she heard a slight knock on the door.

"One second." She called out, then released Soma carefully. She reached the door and opened it, to come face to face with someone who had made her feel shocked for a bit when she saw her again then begin making connections once she had processed such presence. Alice, or as she was calling herself, Anew Returner was waiting on the other side of the door with an aromatic bag of what appeared to be cookies. "Oh, hey there. What's up?" Nena raised her eyebrows in greeting and titlted her body sideways in a welcoming manner.

"Good day, Miss Trinity." Anew politely greeted her. "I was wondering if I could do something to help Miss Smirnoff feel better and I figured I could make some of my tried-and-tested cookies. Do you think she'll be able to try them?"

Nena reflected for a moment what did it imply that Alice didn't remember her. She thought that maybe Alice simply didn't feel Nena relevant enough to remember, but she kind of doubted that was in-character for the girl, as little as she knew of her. She then thought that maybe they simply had some of their memories erased whenever they got assigned to their jobs. But then why did Alice behave like a regular human, if she was so aware of her role as a bio-terminal for Veda? Or perhaps it was a part of her role to think like that? Every conclusion simply brought more questions...

"Miss Trinity?"

"Oh yeah!" Nena reacted. "Sure, I'll give 'em to her." She flashed a smile at the other girl and moved to take the bag of cookies.

"Well then, I'll leave you to your duty." Anew bowed respectfully, started to turn, then turned back again to face Nena. The turning made Nena notice she was holding another bag of cookies and for a moment she hoped they were for her. "By the way, do you know where I can find Mister Regetta? He has been surprisingly elusive."

"Oh, he's probably at his lab-cave in one of the hangar's corners." She shrugged non-chalantly, feeling slightly dejected that the bag wasn't for her. "If not, then just follow your eyes to the feet of the Ahead Hoplon. The purple Ahead."

She bowed once again, murmuring a thank you, then turned around to leave. Nena looked at her walk away then felt slightly shocked at the realization that came to her unwanted. "Did Purple get an admirer?" She raised an eyebrow. "I guess he's cute enough." She let the door close and went back to Soma who, as if by magic, had some color return to her eyes. Was it possible that the cookies had done it?

"Hey, Sommy, you want one?" Nena opened the bag and felt the aroma assault her senses even more intensely. The strong musk of cocoa powder, coupled with a slight hint of hazelnut and vanilla, and the even slighter scent of cinnamon made her mouth water. She wasn't even a gourmet yet she could identify most if not all of the ingredients that had gone into baking them. "Hot damn..." She placed the bag between them both and moved to grab a cookie at the same time as Soma did. They didn't even stop at the brushing of hands and both girls stretched the bag's opening to fit them in.

"What is this smell? It's delicious..." Soma's rough voice from not talking for a while was heard, and then she placed the cookie inside her mouth. The spices that had combined to make the cookies danced around her mouth and, for a moment, she felt her mood lift. As if the crystal bell of her emotions had disappeared to face the ridiculous reality she was now living. Even while being fully aware that her Father was gone, the support from the chemical reactions in her mouth going to her head was allowing her to reboot her mind.

"I know, right?!" Nena agreed, happily. Munching ever so slowly to savor the flavor, she closed her eyes in delight. "Oh my god, I need to ask Anew to make some more for us."

Still looking directly at the bag, Soma reached for another cookie. "Anew?"

Nena felt shook from her cookie-induced reverie, then reacted. "Oh, I'll introduce her later. It's a friend, someone from 'CeeBee'. She came with Al."

"Allelujah..." Soma murmured, despite her artificially-enhanced mood. "I need to talk to him."

"Wanf me to oh loog foh 'im?" Nena asked with a mouthful of cookie.

"No, that's fine. He should come here soon enough, right? I did notice you two and Andrei coming here to keep me company." She commented.

Nena swallowed the pulverized cookie "Yea, in about an hour." Smelling the next cookie, she kept it between her fingers, then realized Soma was finally reacting again. Taking on a serious tone, she asked. "Hey, uh..." She started. "Wanna talk with me about what happened?"

Soma turned to look at her, with crumbs on the side of her mouth. "If possible, I'd like to just enjoy your company for a bit. I do want to talk to you about it but..." She paused for a moment. "Right now I'd rather eat with you."

Nena leaned forward and placed her forehead on Soma's, while the silver-haired girl munched on the next cookie. "Alrighty."

* * *

If anyone asked her what she liked the most about Master Ribbons, Hiling would have trouble to begin. Would she start with his almost mystical acumen for long-term planning? The way he seemed to always know how humans would react to his machinations? Perhaps how his skill at piloting mobile suits was unparalleled? Or how his voice resounded with authority whenever he ordered the innovade forces to conduct his plans?

She was sure she'd get tongue-tied, praising his name. Yet right now she had to wonder when they'd once again attack Celestial Being or the Norns. She had had so much fun playing with the kittens! Even though they had destroyed her rifle, she simply enjoyed that as well, she liked her prey having some fight in them.

The door to her room suddenly opened and Master Ribbons appeared from behind it, crossing it with the authority she adored so much. "M-master Ribbons! What a pleasant surprise!"

He kept his hand behind his back and his head held high as Hiling moved to kneel before him. He smirked in approval. "Hiling Care, I have a task for you."

"Anything you wish, Master Ribbons." She smiled and felt her heart leap in joy at being useful for her Master.

"I have noticed your performance and it pleases me. As such, I have ordered our engineers to begin their work in a group of units that will better suit my chosen pilots. You are one of them, of course. I want you to head over to the hangars and work together with them to give the suits their finishing touches."

If she was already feeling elated, now Hiling was barely able to contain her happiness. Master Ribbons had recognized her efforts! "Y-yes, M-m-master Ribbons! As you command!" What happened next made her brain become mush. She noticed her Master kneeling in front of her, and she raised her head in surprise to look at his eyes, with her own pair wide as saucers, her slight frame trembling.

"I expect great deeds from you, my dear Hiling." He cupped the side of Hiling's face with one hand, and he saw her close her eyes and a stray tear to slide down her cheek, her head leaning on his touch. "Once your suit is ready, I shall properly name it and you'll go claim the gift I promised you sometime ago. I never forget and I make sure to reward those who please me." He moved his hand from her face, which startled her enough to make a face that reminded him of a child being devastated from having their safety mantle removed forcefully, then placed it on top of her head and kissed her forehead. The expression she made at that was rather strange but he supposed it was some sort of happiness coming forth. Then he rose as if nothing had happened, turned around and left.

Hiling remained rooted to the spot for a while, feeling her heart struggling to escape her chest, and tears of joy streaming down her eyes. She was unable to comply with Master Ribbons' command until an hour had passed.

* * *

As Ribbons came close to his private chambers' door, he noticed Devine Nova leaning against the wall that framed it, his eyes closed and his arms crossed with an electronic tablet on them. It was obvious he had been waiting. He felt with some amusement how his innovades were so different, yet the same in loyalty. While Hiling seemed to feel rewarded by his mere presence, Devine felt stimulated only by battle. Thinking of such differences made him think of Regene, and he felt some manner of dejectedness drip into his mood.

Yet even Regene had been crucial to his plans moving as they had. He recovered his good mood and went through the door without looking at Devine. "Enter." He commanded, and the red-haired innovade followed. Sitting on his comfortable couch he saw Devine stop in front of him, yet didn't deign himself to turn to see him. "Ask your question, then." He commanded again.

"Master Ribbons, I simply wish to know why we haven't finished either Celestial Being nor the Norns, I believe we're in the perfect position to do so. They're demoralized, weakened. We have the absolute upper hand yet you'd rather have us wait. Have I been blinded by my conclusions to something?"

"Indeed you have, Devine Nova." Ribbons raised a hand and an attendant-type innovade moved quickly to pour a glass of wine for him. Enjoying the red wine's aroma he allowed it to breathe for a moment. "I understand your lack of interest in what's happening on Earth, on human politics. Yet the resources are still there. And while I have begun plans to stop being so reliant on the planet, we still need them. Think a little." He sipped the wine to taste it. "What gave us such utter control of their military?"

Devine thought for a few milli-seconds after Ribbons prompted him, and realized what his eyes were unable to see. If they eliminated Celestial Being and the Norns so decisively...

"Of course. Then I suppose you are expecting them to return even stronger. Have I managed to grasp a fragment of your thoughts?" Devine smiled, the prospect of fighting even stronger versions of Setsuna F. Seiei and Louise Halevy making his mouth water.

"I knew you weren't just a simple-minded warrior." Ribbons smirked and finally turned to look at Devine, the glass of wine reaching his lips again.

"Well, I'm afraid my predisposition makes me a bit impatient. I'm glad you are the one that calls the shots, though."

"How goes the construction on the new mobile suits?" Ribbons moved to another topic as if they hadn't talked about the previous one at all.

"Bring is overseeing them like an eagle. If our engineers were humans they'd have probably dropped dead from exhaustion by now. Truly, when you give an order he always thinks it's to be done yesterday. Although I do want to see 'Caritas' done already." He smirked, then drew out the electronic tablet to hand it over to Ribbons. "Here's the technical details you wanted to review before we give them the finishing touches."

On the tablet's screen a cover-slide that read 'Project Cardinal' with a stilized 'G' behind the words blinked into existance. Sliding it away with his finger he read the first test results on the new machines he was giving to his best pilots, each machine's 'sheet' floating in front of him as he slid his finger to the next. 'Castitas'. 'Temperantia'. 'Caritas'. 'Benevolentia'. He saw the specifications reach the numbers he had planned alongside Veda and nodded in approval. Then he turned to a final slide with the specifications on a final machine. 'Iustitia'. He smirked.

"It's looking as expected so far. I shall leave the final weapon payload to each one of you. Hiling should arrive shortly, I just got done telling her."

"Very well, Master Ribbons. Then, if you would excuse me." He bowed slightly as he received the tablet back, and turned to leave. Once he reached the door he stopped at hearing Ribbons' voice again.

"Oh, Devine?"

He immediately turned around. "Yes? What is it?"

"Tell them to paint 'Iustitia' in goldenrod."

* * *

Trinity Base's hangar had seen quite a bit of activity ever since the full forces of the Norns had occupied it. Repairing the machines and working on fusing the Guyana-class and the Trinity mothership had occupied them from the very beginning, and since receiving both the supplies from Colonel Kati's base and the new machine from Celestial Being, they had seen even more work.

Andreas pointed to a certain area on the GN Archer's blueprints as he explained his conclusions to Riya and Regene. "On this joint, we'd need to reinforce the material's integrity. Specially on the GN Sniper. I'd like for the Eins Launcher and the Zwei Blade to be able to be carried on launch time."

"We'll use some of the Ahead's plates to compensate. The weight increase on the basic frame should be insignificant." Regene commented while rubbing his chin. "What I'm worried about, though, is the final weight on my GN Phalanx. It's either we use a generous assortment of GN Fields or the heavy plates. But the first solution lowers the weapon's performance and the latter...well."

"How about Dynames-style shield bits?" A fourth voice reached them and Regene immediately recognized it as Anew's. While he was unable to contain his surprise, he managed to hide it before turning to see her.

And while Riya had noticed it, though, she decided to not dwell on what the reaction meant. "The green Gundam, you mean? Can you guys share the specifications on them? It would certainly be helpful."

"I see no problem, seeing how we already shared the GN Archer with you. I'll ask Mister Erde to send them to me." She smiled warmly at the other girl. "Give me just a moment." She asked of them, then turned around.

"Well, that solves that." Andreas quipped. "I'll take the finished blueprints for GN Lancer and GN Fencer to the teams while you give the other two the finishing touches." He motioned to bump fists with Riya, which she happily complied to, then to Regene, who simply stared at the offered fist with a raised eyebrow. "Uh, right." Andreas felt silly for a moment, then grabbed the alluded blueprints and left.

"Here they are." Anew approached them again and made a floating sheet to appear in front of Riya and Regene. The specifications on the GN Shield bits convinced the two.

"Yes, this should definitely work." Riya nodded. "What do you think, Mister Regetta?"

"I'll work on the shape to better suit my style. I'd like to modify their function a bit, maybe have them release a higher-output beam. Let me think for a bit." He drew out his own device and motioned towards Anew to receive the data in it. "Well then, if you'll excuse me, I'll go work on it right away." He nodded to both women and started walking towards his small laboratory.

Anew nodded, then remembered something. "Oh, Mister Regene, wait!" She ran after him, leaving Riya behind.

Against her will, Riya's mouth expressed displeasure, but she quickly suppressed it. She had more important matters to attend, to make Nena's suit better.

* * *

Once he reached his laboratory, Anew finally caught with Regene. "Oh, Miss Returner. How can I help you?" He managed to keep his emotions in check, even with Anew so close to him. He wanted to hug her and ask her how had she been so far, to listen to his dear little sister. But she had forgotten all that. He awaited patiently.

"This is your laboratory, Mister Regene? Why so split apart from the rest?" She made her way in even without Regene's invitation, but he decided it hurt no one to just let her.

"Ah, well, I simply think better in silence and solitude." He shrugged, walking to his work table and placing his portable device on top of it.

"That's not fun!" Anew commented, and that comment startled Regene. Had Celestial Being's influence made her change this way? He didn't truly mind but it felt a little bit sad to not see the process of her evolving like this. "The people here like you, I can tell!"

"They like me, huh?" He crossed his arms and smirked playfully at her.

"Yes! Especially Miss Riya." She smirked back, teasingly. "Perhaps she likes you a bit more than normal?"

"Nonsense." He chuckled.

"I wouldn't be so sure." She turned her head slightly to the side in challenge. "Or is it perhaps that you don't care?"

"Perhaps." He conceded. "I have never been interested in such things. But I suppose that if I wanted to experience such a thing, Miss Bhandari would be a pleasant candidate."

"Oh, Mister Regene, how very cool of you." She half-mocked him, placing her hands on her hips. The slight bumping on her thigh of the cookie bag she was carrying made the aroma shake up and remind Anew of why she had gone after Mister Regene. "Oh right! Um, here! I was wondering if you'd like to have some of these. I made some for Miss Smirnoff and for some reason I made more than I needed. I hope you don't mind?"

At the same time Anew had remembered, Regene noticed the bag too. Despite his better effort to keep his emotions in check, the nostalgia threatened to overwhelm him. Another titanic effort helped him keep his composure. "Certainly, I'd be glad to help."

"Then, if you would please." Anew moved forward and gave him the bag.

Opening it with care, the aroma of the cookies reached his nostrils. "They smell really delicious." He said in melancholy. Grabbing one of the cookies, he trembled a bit and placed it in his mouth. munching on them he lowered his gaze, unable to contain himself. It was the first time he felt the longing overcome him and a tear slid down his cheek.

"M-mister Regene? Was the cookie too hard? Did you hurt your teeth?" Anew closed the distance between them quickly, worried that she had made a mistake and that such a mistake had injured him in turn. What happened next took her by surprise, both by the sudden movement and by how natural it felt. Different from when Lyle did it, but just as warm.

He was unable to keep his emotions in check anymore, after feeling her presence so close. He enveloped her in a hug and placed his face on that place between her neck and her shoulder. She was here and he was glad she was happy, from what he could gather. He felt grateful at Tieria. His little brother had done a good job of taking care of their little sister.

She reciprocated the hug, not quite sure if he was injured or just sad. Maybe he had been under stress and the cookie had released it all? She knew her recipe had a powerful effect somehow, from what Lyle had told her. "It's alright, I'm here." She tried to soothe him.

"You're here." He repeated, yet with a different meaning from what she had intended. "And you're alright." He added.

While not quite understanding, she replied. "Of course I'm alright." She rubbed the top of Regene's head. "Everyone at Celestial Being is very nice to me." She found herself explaining to him, as if she had known him for long. Yet she didn't question the impulse, perhaps thinking it would soothe him. Maybe he was simply some sort of worrywart that wanted to know everyone around him was alright.

He suddenly realized what he had done, and pulled back from her, with his eyes wide as saucers. "My apologies! I just..." He turned to the side, with his head held low, his hands on Anew's shoulders. "Alas, that must have been rather bizarre to you, Miss Returner. You remind me of my beloved sister and the cookie somehow made me react in such a way."

She smiled warmly at him and placed a hand over one of his. "It's quite alright, you seem happier somehow. If my resemblance helped you then I'm glad."

He looked at her for a moment in disbelief, then lowered his gaze once more. Chuckling for a moment he reflected, this was truly Anew. Even when she had forgotten she 'remembered'. "You're quite a kind person." He finally released her shoulders, and opened the bag of cookies. "These last for a while, right?" He asked while taking another cookie into his mouth.

"About a week, I'd expect. But I can make more if you want!" She placed her hands behind her back, happily.

"I'd love that." He said, then offered the open bag for her to grab a cookie, too.

They kept talking about little things, as if they were old friends.

* * *

A research facility's mobile suit laboratory shines with the ceiling lights. The shine falls upon a jet black mobile suit with twin antlers, as if it was a highly-stylized beetle's head. The shape of the mobile suit is thin, hungry if one is inclined to poetic prose. It is clearly made for rapid movement. The TAU Drives on the suit's belt area speak of a high-performance vehicle.

The man who's admiring the mobile suit, a blonde-haired one with the suit's shadow covering his face in darkness, the japanese style jacket wrinkled by his crossed arms, whispers. "Susanowo..."

"Seems like you're fond of our creation, Gra-I mean, Mr. Bushido." Another man approaches the blonde. His long chestnut-colored hair is done in a ponytail and his sleep-deprived eyes are evident by the bags under them. "I'm glad."

"You have crafted a masterpiece, Dr. Katagiri." He says after he acknowledged the presence by turning around and placing the half-mask he was carrying on his hand on his face, then back at the suit.

"Well, it was a lot of work but yeah, I'm pretty proud of it. I hope you do't forget that you carry both of our desires when you ride it."

"And the Trans-Am system?"

"Oh yes. That one." He pulled the glasses up his nose's bridge, and smiled tiredly. "I was about to implement it as is, but thankfully I had a last chat with my now missing apprentice. I gotta admit his ideas allowed me to improve on my initial draft." He walked slowly towards the suit until he was into Mr. Bushido's eyesight and at the Susanowo's thin right foot. "With my draft of the system it would've lasted less than 30 seconds-"

"That would have been more than enough." Mr. Bushido interrupted him.

Billy Katagiri almost face-faulted at the interruption. Typical Graham. "...uh, yes. I suppose so-But!" He paused for effect, waving his hand towards the machine. "With the modifications on the GN Condenser and with a very smartly designed particle container we have managed to match Celestial Being's Trans-Am operational time." He smirked in pride and awaited for a reaction.

"Three minutes." Mr. Bushido rubbed his chin. "And any ill-effects on the machine?"

"Ah...yeah, about that." Billy deflated. He supposed Graham was always this sharp, as well. "Yes, if you do consume the three minutes of time in one sitting, Susanowo will power down."

"That is enough. My only interest is matching up to the twin-drive. After that, I won't need the Trans-Am to fulfill your wish." He closed his hand into a fist and stared at it. "And if even with the Trans-Am system I cannot defeat him then I don't deserve to carry Daryl and Howard's spirits."

"The guys at R&amp;D also put together a pilot suit so you don't bleed out of your ears in case you do go into Trans-Am a lot. Remember back then, with the Flag?"

"Ah yes. That's be quite helpful. Remind me of thanking them next time I see them." Mr. Bushido crossed his arms again and nodded. He then thought about the apprentice Billy had mentioned. "Was the apprentice by any chance Andreas?"

"Who else?" Billy shrugged. "Why, by now I'm not sure I should even call him that. He's more of a peer. The Trans-Am you're going to use was only possible by our combined work."

"Are you ok with him going with the Norns?" Mr. Bushido asked in concern.

"I don't really mind, it's not like they'll get in your way. They only wanna take down A-Laws and we're A-Laws merely by convenience. We stay out of their way and they should stay out of ours."

"You seem decided." Bushido obviated what that meant regarding Billy's relationship with his uncle.

"They took away what I love, corrupting her mind and soul with a fool's errand. I'll take her back and heal her. And if that fails..." his gaze turned dark and Bushido's sharpened.

"Celestial Being needs to disappear regardless."

* * *

Allelujah approached Marie's room and knocked softly. Soon enough, she appeared behind it, the door sliding away to allow him entrance.

"Where's Andrei? I thought he'd be with you at this time." He asked, yet he felt like he knew. Marie was managing by herself now and she had probably released him already.

"I asked him to return to A-Laws. I should be fine from now on and having him there should be of help to our efforts. Besides, I..." She paused, then looked straight into Allelujah's eyes. "I think he'll be safer there than here. I'd be unable to cope with the loss of the one person that loves my Father as much as I do."

"I see." He scowled a bit, in worry. "I suppose you're right. Besides, some of us ought to help the civilians directly, huh?"

She smiled at that. "You remember."

"Yeah, your father's legacy. You wish to help your people as well?" He tilted his head slightly as he asked.

"Do you also remember what we talked about back in the island? Back when we fought each other for the last time, in earnest."

"About being so much more." Allelujah guessed, even if he was sure.

"Indeed." She turned around, with Allelujah's hand in hers, and guided him to sit on the bed. She remained silent as if gathering her strength, then took a deep breath. "When Father died I felt like there would be no reason to fight anymore. Even if I have you, even if I have Nena and Andrei and the others. That moment when it sank in, when I finally acknowledged the explosion, I lost it all."

Allelujah waited without judging for her to continue.

"My time with Father made the rounds inside my head over and over again. As if I was seeing one of those old movie reels. Oh yeah..." She realized he probably didn't know what she was talking about. "My Father showed me one of those; apparently back in the 20th century they kept their movies in celluloid reel. They're rather hard to maintain but his family used to own a cinema way back in the day. The movie he showed me was one of the few that had managed to survive all the time to now." She chuckled, remembering how excited she was. One of those moments he made her feel like a happy child. "It was this movie called 'Ballad of a Soldier'. I forget the year it was filmed, we can look that up later. But I digress." She cut the remembrance short. "Every scene I recalled of my life with him was of love. Even the ones when we were in armed conflicts. His care and trust." She held both of Allelujah's hands and squeezed them, looking at them. He stared at her silky silver hair.

"I realized that all of that remains with me. He's gone but the way he lives, inside of me, of my soul? I can show it everytime I speak with the people I love that are still here. You. Nena and Andrei. The rest of my friends. I'm surrounded by love, even in this war. And I want to protect it."

She looked straight into Allelujah's eyes. "I want to protect you all. I want to finish what my Father started and bring true peace to our battered world. He can't do it now but I can." She hit the center of her chest softly. "I can."

"Yes, you can." Allelujah repeated softly.

"Help me, Allelujah. By doing what you're already doing with Celestial Being. I trust you and your people. And I want to fight by your side." She looked at him, pleading. As if she thought he'd say no.

And perhaps he was going to but he couldn't before those pleading eyes that even then carried steel. "I'd be honored to fight by your side, Marie. I will fight for the ones I love as well. For you and my family of Celestial Being. We'll make it right and grant your father's wish. Our wish."

She leaned forward into Allelujah's chest, and closed her eyes. "When Father died I did feel like it was all lost. But I have you, and I have Nena and Andrei. Now that I have managed to remember it, I know I have what I need to move forward. There is no hatred in my heart."

He held her tight at hearing that. His Marie would be alright. "Yes. There is only love."

* * *

Time vanished like a breeze as the factions worked on their developments. As the Norns worked on their healing from the loss, andd rebuilding from their disadvantage. And as work continued, Regene continued working as well. The issue with how Ribbons was able to figure out their every move still weighed heavily on his mind, even as he worked on the suits. he made it a point to only involve himself on his own suit, trying to learn as little as possible about the other ones. Yet a part of him Ribbons couldn't care less.

Thankfully a sudden flash of inspiration reached him after a chat with Riya. Examining Veda's data packets related to him, even if they hadn't been sent to him in particular could be a valuable hint. So he did so, and developed a small program to discern the point of origin and the device used for every packet that had to do anything remotely with himself, then group such information for his better perusal. Even if he was a bioterminal such duties could be delegated.

And then he read the results...

"It was me..." He saw the evidence in his monitor, he looked at the data packets being sent over to Veda. Not only his location, which would be expected, but his thoughts, his innermost thoughts, plans, actions. Everything. It was all being sent to Ribbons and he didn't ever realize it. He suspected an subdermal microphone, or some other sort of device and he hoped he could just extract it and be done with it. Yet that didn't explain even his thoughts being there, the answer was much simpler and terrifying.

"So you're listening in to me, even now." He scowled at the monitor, imagining it being Ribbons' face. The data packets statistics didn't lie. It was all there - he was Ribbons' unaware spy. And he thought Anew was the only 'sleeper agent'.

"You think yourself too smart, don't you? But there's other ways. If I was on the verge of making up my mind this was the tipping point. You'll know retribution, Ribbons Almark."

His scowl suddenly turned into a shocked expression once another bit of realization hit. He knew that the pills Louise was receiving weren't just mental stabilizers. He knew the arm wasn't just a prosthetic. He was there when they introduced Veda's nanotransceivers in the medicine, and in the artificial arm. He thought it'd be merely to know where she was at all times but the logical leap wasn't too daring.

She was also another beacon of intel for Ribbons, he was sure. He leapt from his seat and ran to the dormitories in the base. Entering without announcing his arrival, he saw both Louise and Nena talking about whatever, and he just grabbed Louise's arm, despite the confusion in Nena's face and the complaints from Louise.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" Louise tried to shake the arm away, struggling.

"Shut up and follow me. Believe me, this is serious. Very serious." That seemed to calm down, yet intrigue the blonde.

Once they reached the laboratory they sat. Nena had followed them, hot on their heels and had called out to Soma once she saw her. Louise stopped struggling but her confused stare remained. "What is this all about?!"

"I'm taking a blood sample." Without saying any further words, Regene sterilized the target spot of flesh then inserted an empty syringe and drew a bit of Louise's blood. Leaving another sterilized bandage on the spot he left her and begun analyzing the sample.

"What is going on, purple?" Nena arrived a second after with Soma by her side, demanding an explanation.

"Be quiet, and wait!" He suddenly yelled, and his tone startled the two recent arrivals. Shocked by his reaction, they remained silent and allowed him to continue on whatever he was doing. Louise turned to look at them both and simply showed the spot where the syringe had penetrated her artifical arm and shrugged.

And then the three of them jumped once he punched the wall with the side of his fist. "Damnit! Damn you to hell, Ribbons!" He yelled again.

"Are you gonna tell us what the flying kittens is going on or not?" Nena tried while also trying to calm him down with her tone. The scowl he directed at her once she drew his attention made her blood curl. Immediately after seeing her reaction though, he backed down, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

"Remember when I told you I thought it strange how Ribbons knew everything I did? I hope you told them that bit, by the way." He asked Louise.

A creeping sensation made her skin crawl. Was this related to it? "Y-yes? Did you find out?"

He punched the wall once again, this time softer, and sighed. He closed his eyes and removed his glasses. It occured to Nena this was the first time he saw his eyes without the glasses and were they not appearing tired and afraid, she thought they looked pretty. "It was me, all along. My body. He can see all I think, he's not only monitoring my words and my presence, he's monitoring my very self. It's nanotrasmitters in my body, and maybe even more nanodevices scattered through it all." He finally said without looking at them.

"So that's how." Soma commented. "She did tell us you suspected something but to think it was this deep..." She placed a hand on her chin and went deep into thought.

"And I wish that was all, but there's more." He said and suddenly turned to look at Louise. "You have the same transmitters in your artificial arm, too. And in the pills you had been taking until Riya helped you out. You have no idea how much of a boon that was, the fact that you don't need them as much anymore. I bet you could go completely without them were it not for the fact that Ribbons can most likely artificially trigger a panic attack on command. You wondered, did you not?"

Louise eyes went wide. And indeed, she had thought it weird, specifically at the A-Laws party back then. She was chatting relaxedly with Setsuna and then she went into a panic attack. "My arm?" She asked in disbelief, looking down.

"We need to take it off of you." Regene sentenced, and Louise jerked her head to look at him in terror. "He convinced you by telling you that this way you'd be a much better pilot, and it wasn't a total lie. But I can assure you, you don't need it anymore. You should be able to function with a cybernetic arm. Louise, you need to take it off as soon as possible."

"It's true." Nena provided, and Soma nodded in agreement. "You're quite skilled as it is and you even have Litchi to help you. Whatever decrease in performance you take from losing that arm can be shortened with further training, since you're actually rather skilled now." She crossed her arms and furrowed her brows.

"We'll talk about performing the operation with the Colonel as soon as possible, if you agree." Soma told her, then bent and placed a hand on Louise's shoulder. "You should probably do so, though. I don't think I'd want someone else in my head if I was you."

Calming down from the support and advise of her friends, she looked at each one of them, and finally nodded. This was serious enough that there was no time to hesitate. It was not even her real arm, after all. "You're right. We'll..." She took a deep breath. "We'll do that." She then turned to Regene. "But what about you? It's not like you can remove your...everything from your body." She motioned at his whole being from top to bottom with a wave of her hand.

"I'll split from you all." He declared, and simultaneous gasps and complaints went off. "It's the only choice." He raised his voice to interrupt them. "I'm too much of a risk, and there's nothing to stop Ribbons from simply getting the upper hand, as always. As he has been doing for a while. Every single move, every single result has been in his favor. Now the world is in his grasp and A-Laws is stronger than ever. You did notice, didn't you?"

"That...that is true." Soma agreed. "Even before the fall of the second Memento Mori, they began absorbing the rest of the Federation's Army. It was one of the things my father left among his research and investigation documents." She provided.

"And just as Celestial Being grows in strength, so does Ribbons' influence." Regene explained. "The people dig their heads in the ground in fear and demand for whoever can face them to do so." He chuckled darkly. "I guess our success as a team is also part of it. The peerless 'Team Norns'." He mockingly said. The women in the room looked down in regret. "All for the sake of his plan."

"It wasn't all for his sake." Louise suddenly said in defiance, and the others looked at her. "He's stronger, but we have grown together as a team. And we have assembled support in the form of a great commander like Colonel Kati, the engineering crew led by Riya and Andy, and all the guys that came from Colonel Kati's base. It wasn't just for his sake!"

Her two female friends smiled, while Regene felt his scowl soften. Then Soma spoke. "Louise is proof of it. Nena's resolve is also part of it." She paused remembering her father, closing her eyes and smiling. "The way father and Miss Kati teamed up to begin monitoring A-Laws. The support I've received from everyone in my weakest moment. All of that has helped me remain in the fight. For the sake of father's legacy, and for the family Andrei and I still have in each other. And to protect all of my beloved friends. It wasn't for his sake."

His scowl disappeared from hearing her, going into a neutral expression, and nodding. And then Nena also said her piece. "I'm not the person I used to be, not at all. And I have only the people I love to thank. Each and every person that has made me get here, with you. My fury, my lost way, my doomed approach to life. Now I can live and love and fight for what matters to me, for what's actually worthwhile! It definitely wasn't something that'd further his plans. You can't tell me it was all for his sake."

The three of them saw something they had never seen before appear on Regene's face. A genuine smile freely given, without smirks or arrogant tinges. "You are all what makes humanity worthwhile, indeed. I'm glad I can call you my comrades." Even if the smile didn't last quite that long, they grinned in elation.

"We're not just comrades, dummy. We're friends." Nena softly scolded him.

He raised his head to the ceiling, looking for unexistant arguments against that declaration. "Friends, huh?" The three women approached him slowly and smirked, and grinned. For a whole second he widened his eyes, seeing them so close, right on his face. And then they hugged him happily.

"We're fweeeeeeends!" Nena chirped.

"I'm afraid you'll have to accept that fact, Regene Regetta." Soma expressed her agreement.

"My friends~!" Louise said in a sing-song tune.

"You're all fools." Regene said, barely resisting. "But you're my fools." He said, and reciprocated the group hug.

* * *

If you asked Ali-Al Saachez, he never did like being in command of anybody. The few times he had been, it was out of convenience. Gather the people, use them, then discard them, that had been his modus operandi whenever he needed more bodies to throw at the battle. He supposed that in a way this time it wasn't any different but still he had to admit: ordering actual military people around felt fun.

"Hey, you! Did you guys finish giving maintenance to my 'Imperatore'?" He barked at a passing engineer.

"Yes, sir! The mobile suit is ready to roll out as soon as you decide to!"

"Good. Then tell the guys to hurry up and get the rest of the suits ready. We're leaving at any time now."

"Right away, sir!" The A-Laws engineer scrambled away while Ali directed his gaze towards the monitor at the hangar that was showing a certain ceremony being conducted at the United Federation's Legislative Hall.

"Oh boy, you're making your checkmate, eh boss?" He placed his hands on his hips and smirked like a predator.

* * *

Ribbons walked up to the podium, in front of the world's leaders and watched as everyone applauded him. He had his gaze turn to certain people in particular. The former president of the Union was barely able to contain his scowl. The current minister for the former AEU Germany held a stoic stare at Ribbons and the Chairwoman of former HRL China had her eyebrow permanently raised even as she clapped. He made a note to keep a closer eye on them.

Not that it mattered anymore.

As the applause died out, he moved to begin reading his prepared speech. "I thank you, General Council of the United Federation, for this increase in resources that has been voted. Once again I renew my unwavering commitment to our beloved world's peace, so heavily paid for - not only by the loyal Federation Armies nor only by A-Laws, but also by the brave civilians who remained working even as the cowardly terrorists assaulted their charge, the Orbital Elevator. It is in their name, and in the name of all those that love peace, that our efforts will see themselves increased many times over. To protect our present, to protect our future." He paused to look at the hall as a whole. "To protect our world." He smiled beatifically and the applause sounded was more. His eyes closed, he absorbed on it all, then resumed once the applause died out again.

"As of now, we have already begun arming the site of the African Orbital Elevator's reconstruction. With the added resources we plan on arming the remaining elevators heavily, and in such a way we ensure that no matter where the accursed terrorists strike, we'll be there. We also will station Protection Platoons on our main economical hubs, and we will begin with a program that will outfit other strategic targets with automated mobile suits, with our Artificial Intelligence Network. In short, we will not be taken by surprise ever again. And once we're set in position." He grasped the podium with energy, and leaned forward. "We'll move to end Celestial Being once and for all!"

The resounding applause came on cue, and he waved once again to the hall as a whole, then started moving down the podium. As Hiling reached to him and waited to start walking behind him, she came slightly closer to notify him. "We have managed to pinpoint the location of Celestial Being's Ptolemaios and are ready to strike at your leisure with the new Gundam units, Master."

"Good. Then proceed to eliminate them immediately. We have no use for them anymore."

"What about Anew Returner, Master?"

"Revive will handle it, he seems to want to retrieve his twin and I see no reason to deny him."

"And the twin-drive?"

"I'm not interested in it anymore. Destroy it. Destroy them all." He ominously ordered as they reached the hallway outside the hall."

"As you command, Master." Hiling stopped her tracks and bowed, then immediately turned away to conduct her Master's orders.

"And once the tools have been disposed of, we shall prepare for the dialogues to come in earnest." He murmured ot himself as he made his away to the garden outside the building. Watching the humans move to and fro', he smiled a terrifying mockery of a smile. "With modifications, but as you wished. Aeolia Schenberg."

* * *

Well then, there we go 22 of 26 is done. Needless to say the next chapter promises a lot of fight, and some sort of departure from the canon. You can already tell the situation is heavily tipped in Ribbons' favor as of now, with his human lackey firmly positioned inside A-Laws, the world's military resources at his full disposal and our heroes at the classical underdog position. We'll see how costly it becomes for them to earn victory.

I have to say this is one of my favorite chapters from what I've wrote. Even if Nena isn't much of a protagonist in it. Hopefully you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. And anyways, she's gonna be quite the centerpiece on the following chapters. Why I already have a key scene all written, it's only waiting for the chapter around it to come into realization.

And with this, I say to you farewell. I hope I can bring you the next chapters before the fic reaches the one-year mark, but I should probably not make any real plans for it. So all I can ask is for you to wait patiently for it and maybe drop me a line or two if you so wish. I'll see you next time!


	26. I wished to be with you

We're almost there now, my friends. We reach chapter 23 and now there's only 3 more to go. I promised I'd finish and I definitely will. Warning for strong language later on. So now, here I bring you number 23...

* * *

**Chapter 23 - I wished to be with you**

It had been very busy weeks for the engineering crews at Trinity Base. Working around the clock they had studied, developed and built the four machines that the Norns would use to close the gap between them and the innovade forces. And on top of that they worked on the new carrier ship that would allow them to take the battle to space and the enemy. Yet they managed to finish it all without being assaulted on the time being. That greatly worried Kati Mannequin, how they hadn't been hounded by Ribbons Almark and his A-Laws. And by what she had gathered from what Leesa had shared, even Celestial Being had been left alone. Whatever the enemy was thinking, the lack of activity apparently meant that they thought they had them just where they wanted.

She had to reluctantly agree.

But right now, they could at least relax from the fact that they were done, and so most of the crews were standing before the fruit of their efforts. The massive combination of both carrier ships into one with even greater capabilities.

"I'd like to take a moment to once again thank you all for your efforts." Kati spoke. "Each and every one of you made it possible, and now that we have the tools we needed we can begin our battle in earnest. Now we will be able to go forward, reassured in the fact that our machines will help us reach victory. So indeed, once again, thank you all." She bowed to the engineering crews as a whole and they cheered in unison, with the satisfaction that only a job well done could bring. Kati waited until the cheering had died a bit to continue. "And now we shall move to name the new ship." She closed her eyes and paused for a couple seconds, before she opened them again with a gaze full of decision. "Our four pilots were called 'Norns' by A-Laws, and by that name they operated. Time and again they conducted their operations, with their hearts filled with a single purpose: to find the truth, and with that truth to bring true peace to our war-torn planet." As she talked she turned to look at Soma, at Louise, at Regene and finally at Nena. "Finally they, and us, saw quite enough. And that was the moment when we all decided to split off from A-Laws. Yet we kept the name."

She jerked her hand vigorously. "We -keep- the name because that's the name under which we conducted our efforts! It is the name by which we fought and bled! And now we are -all- the Norns!" The gathered people cheered, with the four pilots nodding in agreement, Nena punching playfully Louise's shoulder. "We will take a page from the myth that such a name comes from, and name this ship after the mystic well where the Norns gather." She turned around and lifted her arm as a cue for the crews at the side of the ship to release the sheet of cloth that was covering an area of its surface. "We shall call it 'Urdbrunner'!" Everyone cheered even more once the name was revealed as the cloth fell, the fruit of their efforts gaining a name of its own. "We shall ride the 'Urdbrunner' to victory, we shall neutralize the sword that lies poised against freedom's throat and return true peace!"

She was never a woman that stood to ceremony, she admitted to herself. But where they were about to go, she thought, there most of the people gathered would certainly die. She reflected that such occasions helped to gather on whatever little courage they could find in their souls. A just cause, a clear path. Those were the things that could make a difference. The reasons that could help one pass on with a lighter heart. And it was her duty as their commander to at least give them that much. "We will depart at 600 tomorrow to join our allies and conduct a joint assault at the enemy's last known position. Until then, you are dismissed." She finished the small speech and moved to the ship's entrance where Patrick was waiting with a bottle of water. She smiled grateful as he handed it to her.

"That was a nice speech, Colonel." He praised.

She took a quick drink from the bottle, then replied. "If it helped the crew even a bit, I'm glad."

"I'm sure they all feel very inspired. I know I am!" Patrick reassured his superior as they both made their way inside the ship.

"Thank you, Patrick." She nodded towards him in acknowledgement. "Is your team ready, by the way?"

"Good to go, Colonel. They're happy to finally be of some use again."

"Excellent, we'll need every single unit out there."

They walked in silence until they reached the bridge, which was currently unoccupied. She sat on the commander's seat and he remained behind her, his hands behind his back. "Leesa shared with me that this might not even be the necessary strike to obtain a decisive victory. It makes me wonder if we're not being too hasty. But we need to find the location of their true base, where they apparently keep hold of a strategic resource that we can use to turn this on its head. If we don't manage to retrieve it, we'll never be able to take the enemy down. We have pretty much no choice." She crossed her arms as she shared with the person that had become as a sort of right hand to her, a fact that slightly surprised her.

"If I may, Colonel?" He asked tentatively, then continued when no complaint was heard. "I think this time haste won't make much of a difference. They have the upper hand in all significant ways. I agree that it's quite likely most of us will die but, well, the alternative of doing nothing and waiting just ain't a true alternative for any of us. Like hell I wanna live in a world where one single person calls all the shots. I ain't interested in having an absolute ruler, you get me?"

He moved a little bit to the side to be on Kati's line of sight. "I don't think anyone will go out while cursing your name, if that's worrying you. We all know what we're getting into. So you should just lead us like you always do, Colonel. Everyone trusts you."

She smiled at him. She wasn't sure when he had become someone she could count on like this, but she was glad such a thing had happened. "Thank you, Patrick. Your words do me good."

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and blushed. He had been of help to the Colonel! "Aw, don't mention it, hehe!"

"I think I'll need a few moments to reflect by myself, I hope you don't mind?" She asked of him.

"Not at all, Colonel!" He nodded. "I still wanna chat a bit with Nenners before tomorrow. Just let me know if you need any help later on today."

"Will do."

* * *

"So Hiling and Bring will be otherwise occupied?" Revive asked of Devine while standing in front of their new mobile suits. Gleaming in pure white with golden motifs, both 'Gundam Caritas' and 'Gundam Benevolentia' awaited for their first flight. Even if this time it would only be two of them, Revive was sure that they would be more than enough. For starters, they'd have help once they arrived...

"Yeah. Seems Hiling is tying some loose ends with the help of that scruffy dude that Master Ribbons employs and Bring is personally monitoring the Gaga units start up procedures." Devine shrugged. "Not like we'll do a lot on this one. Should be fine for a test." He placed a hand on 'Caritas' and rubbed the machine lovingly. "Man, I really wanna launch as soon as possible." He sighed while admiring the machine.

It was like no other craft before, based on entirely new construction plans of Master Ribbons' inspiration. The sleek appearance was thought with both speed and power as the machine's greater features. With well-balanced legs, the golden feet gleamed as the leg tastefully combined gold and white, the knee-guards's top reaching the middle of the suit's thigh. A thin, white belt area had the crotchpiece protrude down to where the kneeguards ended, and the thin torso allowed for a vast range of movement. A long, straight blade hung at the belt area, the blade employing GN particle technology when drawn for better cutting. The arms were mostly golden, with the suit's hands in pearly white and small vambrace protuberances in white with a feather motif. An assault GN Rifle hung by the suit's right side, and a long shield in white base, gray body and gold in the center hung to the left. Its white, blocky shoulders gave the torso an elegant and understated wide top.

And then there was the head. The classical Gundam red 'beard' commenced the face's line, with the 'nose' vents continuing it. The eyes were delineated with red around their area. The head was mostly white except for a very pronounced and vertical V-fin that almost looked like very stylized eyebrows, but with an angelic motif. The suit also had a backpack, where a single GN Saber awaited, ready to be drawn. It's shape was squared with a gaping hole in the middle to allow the GN Drive to be mounted on. Devine smirked and felt giddy with anticipation at piloting the 'Caritas', imagining the moment when he could use its best feature.

"I understand your impatience, Devine, I really do. I must admit I was under the impression that we wouldn't need to fight in anything more advanced than a Gadessa or an Empruss but Master Ribbons..." He stopped, still very impressed at his Master's genius. "He truly is worthy of being our leader." He raised his head to better appreciate the fruit of Ribbons' mastery of mobile suit engineering.

'Gundam Benevolentia' was also an awe-inspiring machine. While the 'Caritas' was obviously a suit for melee combat, the 'Benevolentia' was meant for even higher-speed skirmishes and mid-range attacks. The legs were bulkier, with the base of them in gold. Vents in charcoal gray to the outer sides of the legs and mounted ailerons in the subdued shape of feathery wings suggested that they were meant to take the brunt of the suit's speed. Its kneeguards had golden markings at the outer frame and also bore vents. The thighs were reduced to a fourth of the leg's entire length, and were also colored in pearly white. The belt was quite different from the one in 'Caritas'. Instead of a single central crotchpiece, this one had a frontal skirt that almost reached the knees. The mobile suit's crotch also had another vent at the bottom, and to the top a golden bust of a soaring angel crowned it.

Its arms were also thinner than the 'Caritas' arms, and were also painted white, with grenade launchers hidden inside golden covers to the sides of the forearms. Squared, white shoulderpads continued an elegant appearance, and above those shoulderpads there lain another couple of metallic plates akin to a cape, stylized as wings. The head was mostly golden, with the typical Gundam nose vents as well as an even more vertical V-fin that this time did appear as an actual crown. A yellow crystal stood in the middle of the fin, and a extra green camera above the crystal begun the top of the helmet's crest. It carried strategic GN-Vulcans to the sides of the helmet.

The white torso was bulky and even proud-looking, with another set of vents to the sides, this time in golden. Divided in two by the middle cusp, the lower part was painted in charcoal gray and the upper part in pearly white. Yet the greatest feature of 'Benevolentia' was the backpack. A pair of folded angel wings pointed downwards, big enough to reach all the way from the shoulders to below the thighs, the outer feathers in gold. Between the wings a cockpit that resembled a crescent moon served as evidence of the backpacks function: this machine was meant to transform into a stylized fighter with an angelic motif. The cockpit's shape also allowed for the unit's GN Drive to rest right below it. To the top of the shoulders it carried a pair of missile launchers in gold.

"I almost wonder if we'll be good enough to pilot them, but if Master Ribbons deems us worthy, then I'm sure we will." He reflected out loud. "They truly look like nothing else I've ever seen..."

A moment of silence in the middle of the hangar's bustling activity was suddenly cut by Devine. "Well then! Let me know when you are ready to depart. Our Master said we could commence the mission at our leisure and that you'd pretty much take the lead on this one." He placed his hands to the back of his neck.

"Yes, I'm well aware of that." He rolled his eyes at beign said what he already knew. "We depart in a half hour. I can make the final preparations as we head over to meet the Ptolomaios."

* * *

Louise looked once again at her hand in worry. Standing under the shade of her new mobile suit, the golden GN Fencer, her mind wandered to her first meeting with Regene, with how they returned her hand to her. And apparently that had been the moment Ribbons had managed to sneak into her mind as well. While Regene assured her that he was unable to spy on her thoughts like with himself, she wondered if perhaps it was just omsething that had been added later. She didn't understand very well just how advanced the Innovades were or their true capabilities.

"I wonder if he's spying on me right now..." She murmured to herself, then felt an arm go around her shoulder, and the characteristic strawberry scent from Nena entered her nostrils.

"You seem worried by what Purple said about your hand." She asked as a way to open the conversation.

"Well, yeah." Louise replied. "I don't think anyone would like someone else invading their mind like that, being able to affect you against your will the way he can."

"At least he can't assault you like back then at the party anymore."

"Yes, but still. Wish we had had time to go ahead and cut this hand off."

"It'll be fine, trust me. It's not like he can make you move against your will, at most he can just see what you see, hear what you hear."

Louise lowered her head and closed her eyes, as if that helped at least a little to obfuscate Ribbons' monitoring. "I wonder if he's using my senses right now..."

Nena smirked. "Well, if he is..." She suddenly grabbed Louise's head by its sides and looked straight into her startled eyes. "You think you're so smart, huh Ribbons? You're gonna regret hurting my friends like this. That's a promise." She remained like that, staring right into Louise's eyes, who started growing red on her cheeks after a while.

"N-nena? I think he got the message if he was listening..." Feeling a bit awkward and with her heartbeat accelerating, she hoped Nena got the hint.

"Hold on, I'm still intimidating him." Nena furrowed her eyebrows after justifying herself. "Also, you're super cute so let me look at you a bit longer."

"Nena!"

She finally released Louise. "Well, at least now you're flustered instead of depressed." Nena grinned, then remembered something. "Oh, have you been talking to Saji, by the way?"

"Oh, I..." Being reminded of Saji made her mind forget for a moment what she was tacirturn about even further. "I talked a couple times with him while Soma was in deep mourning. Truly, it has been a while. I guess we kinda have to start over again, in a manner of speaking."

"Better than just burning bridges, I'd say."

"Yeah." Louise smiled mildly.

"It'll be fine, you guys can fall in love all over again and stuff. With your new experiences it should be interesting." Nena placed her hands on the back of her neck, relaxedly, then puffed a breath of air out. "Well, I should go check up on Patters, I think he wanted to spend sometime together before tomorrow. Wanna chat later?"

"Sure, I'll let you know."

"Alrighty." Nena squeezed Louise's shoulder then turned around to go to Patrick.

Louise remained behind, looking at the redhead's back. "Like a red tornado." She murmured, then smiled. "I wonder if..." A thought came to her, unaware. The implications of what she was thinking, of the way she was thinking about Nena startled her. Her cheeks went red yet again then she shook her head.

Maybe she should run a few final checks on the GN Fencer...

* * *

The sudden alarm in the middle of the night had called the Norns and Kati to the Urdbrunner's bridge. While the crews were working for the launch checkups in case of a sortie, everyone listened on to Sumeragi on the bridge's monitor, which was showing the Ptolomaios' own bridge.

"It seems Ribbons Almark has begun with whatever he's planning. There's attacks going on in South-East Asia, and the Middle East by several armies in mobile suits painted in blue. They claim to be Katharon and that the final stand has arrived."

Lockon punched a nearby chair in anger, which made Anew grab his shoulders in support. "Those bastards are using Katharon's name to conduct their terror, damn it! There's little mobile suits left with Katharon, it would be impossible for them to conduct so many strikes in such large numbers!"

Tieria remained with his arms crossed and his voice level. "Yet the media will report it as such dutifuly. All we can do is stop them in any way possible."

"This might be also a trap, Sumeragi, as I'm sure you've already concluded as well." Kati voiced what was probably going on inside her old friend's head.

"Indeed. And that being the case I propose a simultaneous attack on the three locations. We'll need a coordinated assault."

Allelujah then commented. "Well, we have eight suits and two locations..."

"Four, we still need to protect our bases as well." Regene observed.

"This is how I propose we split." Sumeragi continued. "Tieria, Regene and Lockon aid the Ptolomaios. Setsuna will go with Allelujah to South-East Asia. That leaves Soma, Nena and Louise closer to you at the Middle-East, but..." She stopped to await for Kati's input.

"We also have pilots besides the Norns, from the old base. Captain Patrick and his Angel Squad can help the Urdbrunner defend Trinity Base. That leaves Soma, Nena and Louise free to attend to the Middle-East." Kati suggested. "Are you in agreement?"

Sumeragi reflected for a moment, then replied. "Yes, that should work. We will all remain in communication in the case of an eventuality. Also, be on the lookout for A-Laws activity. I predict Ribbons will have them launch symbolically to put down the so-called Katharon squadrons."

"Quite so." Kati agreed. "Well then, everyone, prepare for take-off! We shall not allow Ribbons Almark to run unchecked!"

Nena quickly pulled aside to ask Kati before the sortie. "Why Regene at the Ptolomaios, tho'? That's three suits for defense."

"Leesa and I had talked about it beforehand." Kati explained. "We suspect they might want to take the Ptolomaios down with their strongest pilots and mobile suits. With both defense oriented suits and a longe-range sniper helping out, it should be possible to hold on enough time in case they start getting the upper hand."

"Huh..." Nena rubbed her chin. "You guys ain't the commanders for nothing." She noticed Kati's smirk. "N-not that I was doubting you! I just found it curious, I was sure you had a plan."

"Well, thanks for the vote of confidence." She passed her hand through Nena's hair like a mother petting her child, then looked at her seriously. "You all have to come back safely. If it starts looking rough, leave it and return, understand? We will need to give it our all soon enough, but this isn't the moment to play heroes. We simply can't ignore such wanton destruction."

"I understand." Nena nodded.

"I know I'm not very expressive, Nena, but I want you to know that you're dear to me." Kati said suddenly, in a moment of pure honesty.

That took Nena by surprise and felt an incredible warmth seep inside her very core. She placed a hand on the one that was over her cheek. "I...uh. I think the same about you. I won't do anything stupid, I promise." She grinned.

"Good." Kati confirmed. "Now go."

* * *

Ali Al-Saachez couldn't remember the last time he had this much fun. "Hahahahahahahaha! Die, you dumbasses! Scream!" Not only did he had free reign and oh so many targets between the pseudo-Katharons and the civilian targets, but he was using his new toy, the 'Imperatore'. A mobile armor painted in blood red, it was reminiscent of the old 'Alvatore' model that Alejandro Corner used, with its top half being a mobile suit's torso, arms and head, and its bottom being a half-sphere filled with heavy GN-Artillery. It was truly a massacre engine.

He had made the right choice by allying himself with Ribbons. While he hated taking orders, he had found the green-haired bozo to be quite accomodating. And the orders he received were usually missions focused on spreading terror and confusion. Maybe he had finally found a place he belonged to.

He was shook from his reverie as a blue Enact dared come close and even swing down a blade towards him. He used the Imperatore's manipulator to grab the Enact's offending wrist, and crush it until it split from its arm. "Well now, aren't we bold?" He teased, then used the other manipulator to tear the Enact's arm off, and then swiftly stabbed the suit with his GN Sword. "Too bad boldness is worth shit." He quipped, then a beam shot from the Imperatore's chest that blasted the Enact away, a mess of smooke and charred metal propelling to the ground.

Following the machine's trajectory he saw some men mounting a SAL battery on a mosque. Closing in he could see their terrified expressions and the desperation, they truly thought this would make a difference. Grinning maniatically he targetted the SAL and the men around with needle missiles from the mobile armor's lower body and shot. He watched with glee as the blood splattered for a split second on the SAL before it, too exploded in hundreds of pieces, which were in turn swallowed by the explosion that took the building down. "Heh, this is quite the homecoming for me." He chuckled.

And then, as his bloodlust kept increasing he saw a hospital closeby. He licked his lips and prepared to launch a volley of missiles but then got interrupted as the autodefense maneuvers took over and made him barely dodge a powerful beam that almost pierced the armor's lower body. "What the f-"

A trio of mobile suits, rather similar in appearance but still distinctive enough both by weapons load and color was approaching him with violent intentions. Leading the charge was the silver mobile suit, holding a lance forward. Second in line was a golden and thin mobile suit, with GN Blades as arms. Moving more slowly and staying in range was a red suit, with a huge Mega Launcher on its arms and what appeared to be two blades on its back. Those blades, though, seemed rather familiar, even when split in two.

"It's the shitty-kitty..." He recognized the black Mega Launcher as well. There was no doubt, it was that Trinity chick. "And I bet you come with pals this time." He opened communications to the area, so they could hear him. "I guess you wanna play again, huh? Why don't you come here so I can penetrate you once more, kiddo?!"

Nena grit her teeth at that voice, yet managed to keep her cool. "Only if you let me tear off your sword again." She quipped back.

He felt like he had taken the worse from that back-talk. "Oh, aren't we feisty! Come on, then!" He screamed in anger, as he released a volley of missiles towards the offending group.

Moving quickly, Soma split the lance in two and began destroying the missiles as they came. The ones she was unable to avoid were destroyed by Louise's swift bladework and the little stragglers were engulfed by Nena's Mega Launcher's beams, which also served to keep the Imperatore in check.

"Oh, you little bastards think you're so tough, huh?" He grew ever angrier, and deployed the mobile armor's massive GN Defensive Field, which made the beams bounce upwards and away. "How about this?!" After that, he launched yet another volley, but this time targetting civilian buildings, to relieve some of the attention the enemy had on him.

"Louise, help me destroy those missiles!" Soma shot at the missiles heading towards the hospital with her split lances which also doubled as rifles, and sliced open the ones that were closer to her.

"On it!" Louise complied, and pushed her suit to greater speed. "Litchi, take charge of the suit's GN Machinegun!" She asked her robotic partner so they had both her blades and the gun to take down missiles.

"Roger that! Roger that!" The little Haro complied.

Nena for her part kept getting closer to the Imperatore. "So beams won't do it, huh?" She placed the Eins Launcher folded to her suit's backpack, then drew the Zwei Blades. "You're going down, Ali Al-Saachez!" She taunted with a cooler mind than she thought possible. Perhaps tempered by her promise she kept a cautious approach, even when this close to her brothers' murderer.

The blades bypassed his armor's GN Field so he was forced to parry the offending weapons. "Damnit, you came prepared." The heavier armor had trouble keeping the crimson mobile suit's assault at bay, yet Ali still had the presence of mind to launch another missile volley to keep the other two at bay. "You're one fast little bitch!"

"No, you're just a heavy fucker." Nena insulted him back, even if she wasn't a fan. Delivering a quick combo of two slashes and a kick, she pushed the armor back.

"Whatever, then. Same shit." He replied. "Thing is, it's time for the hidden function!" His challenging tone put Nena on the defensive, as she saw how the mobile armor's lower half opened to release the rest of the top half, which seemed to be a complete mobile suit once released. "Tell your friends they're gonna have even more fun!" He spat, then the purged lower half began spinning and tossing missiles randomly around.

Soma noticed the renewed assault and pushed for a different plan. "Louise, defend the more vulnerable buildings, we can't save them all!" She kept guard at the hospital and reluctantly allowed the other missiles impact areas that she hoped had less people.

"We have to stop that thing somehow!" Louise replied as she zoomed around tearing the missiles that were approaching the school grounds.

"Nena will have to take that bastard down, I bet the lower half is still being controlled by the mobile suit half! For now, we defend!"

Now matched blow by blow by Ali's machine's mobile suit form, Nena decided to employ the Zwei Blades' original form by placing the two blades together. With the heavy swings, the Imperatore was unable to strike in as securely, thanks to the GN Sniper's increased output that allowed for fast swings.

"Damnit, I want that sword back." Ali murmured. He placed a bit of space between them, then began shooting at his opponent's suit. As she placed the blade in front of her to block the incoming shots, he took his chance. "Now or never!"

"Nena, to your left! Nena, to your left!" Her Haro partner warned her, and thanks to that she managed to parry the quick slash from her left. "I'm two-in-one, I'm afraid." She taunted.

"You're an annoyance, that's what you are." Ali barked, then resumed his assault.

* * *

"Thank you for assisting us, Regene Regetta." Was what Regene heard as he reached the Ptolomaios in space from Sumeragi. "We'll feel more secure knowing we have you with us here."

"I couldn't say no to my cute little brother." Regene joked, something that he found himself doing more and more frequently.

"Oh! So you're the older brother, mister Regetta?" Now he heard the young woman's voice which he recognized belonged to a Mileina Vashti.

"We're actually the exact same age, but I like to think I am, mentally speaking."

"Only because you like teasing me, Regene." Tieria complained, to which Regene chuckled.

"I'm older and more mature because I can understand the benefits of letting out some steam."

"I think mister Erde is good enough as he is." He could almost hear the young woman's pouting, which made him smile.

"Well, then I'm glad you're looking out for him. I trust you'll treat him well." He instantly understood what she meant.

"Huh? What do you mean?" His oblivious brother, of course, missed the point though.

"I-it's not like that!" She quickly scrambled to clarify, and the people inside the bridge chuckled. "Well, it kinda is, but...no, not yet! My heart is not ready!"

"What?!" A man's voice expressed alarm and Regene supposed that was the girl's father, by the reaction.

"In any case." Sumeragi interrupted, amidst chuckles. "Let us stand on the ready for when they strike."

"Roger that." Lockon commented.

"Please be careful." Anew now provided, perhaps cued in by Lockon's voice. "You too, mister Regene."

Regene once again smiled, accepting Anew's consideration. "It'll be quite alright. You'll see."

And as they continued filling the silence with small talk, suddenly, Anew detected movement on the radar.

"Enemy suits approaching!" Anew called out once the enemy squadron appeared on radar. "It's 5 of them!"

Lockon employed his long-sight to try and discern the enemy's composition. "Seems like it's three Gadessas and..." He focused even further on the other two suits. "Now, that's gaudy." He pointed out the flashy appearance of the mobile suits. "Gold and white and angels all over. I guess those are the squad leaders."

A communications contact sounded on their cockpits. "I have come to claim what's mine. And I surmise you're on the bulky purple mobile suit, aren't you, Regene Regetta?" Revive's voice asked.

"Revive Revival..." Regene grit his teeth. "You will only find defeat here."

Devine replied to that warning. "We'll see about tha-hey, where's goldie and blade boy?" He asked about Louise and Setsuna's whereabouts.

"I'm afraid you stretched us too thin." Tieria observed.

"No matter, you shall fall and I'll retrieve my possessions." Revive called out. "It's time to leave, Anew." He smirked as he allowed what he had just said to sink in on the enemy's minds.

Once everyone on the bridge turned around to look at Anew, she was already pointing a gun on Sumeragi's head. Yet her eyes, they showed utter doubt and pain. "P-please, I...don't know w-" She shook her head. "My body, I can't-I can't control it!"

"That's odd..." Revive reflected. "Well, that changes nothing, I shall just push the output a little bit more." He ordered Veda to increase the signal's strength on Anew's override function.

"Aaarrrgh!" They watched as Anew grabbed her head and fell on her knees in pain. Once Sumeragi tried to grab her, Anew shot towards the door to escape.

"The override program!" Regene guessed. "Damnit, stop! You risk deleting her brain patterns!" He yelled as he prepared his GN Phalanx's 'Buckler Bits' to launch in an array and pierce Revive's suit with lasers.

"That doesn't matter, I'll simply rewrite my twin from scratch. Her purpose was to spy on you and she has done so, it doesn't matter anymore. Now, come!" He declared, then made his suit tranform into a fighter plane and shoot forward to begin the assault.

"That's our cue." Devine called out to the three Gadessas' pilots escorting them. "Formation three, ready!"

The pilots were the first clones from Bring's Gaga Army. Innovades who looked just like Bring and were meant to act as dummy terminals for Veda to control vast amounts of units, they simply nodded and followed Devine's order.

"They're coming!" Lockon yelled. "Damnit, what are they doing to Anew?!"

"Rasse went out to retrieve her, focus on your battle!" Sumeragi ordered. "GN Missile launcher, fire!"

"It's a miss!" Mileina notified the bridge as she saw the three Gadessas shoot down the missiles. "They keep approaching!"

"I'm on it." Tieria declared, and increased their numbers by separating the Seraphim unit from his Seravee. Letting loose a barrage of bazooka blasts, he covered the Seraphim's approach and managed to strike down one of the Gadessas.

"I guess they need more work." Devine lamented, then kept dodging the Cherudim's shots. Carrying his GN Straight Blade, he charged ahead and sliced the Shield Bits that Lockon placed between him and Devine as if they were made of butter.

"Damnit, what's that blade made of?!" Lockon yelled. as he drew out his GN Pistols to present close-combat battle.

Meanwhile, the GN Phalanx was embroiled in furious battle with the Benevolentia. The fighter plane mode was rather fast, yet Regene somehow managed to keep it on the defensive, by employing his 'Buckler Bits' intelligently, coupled with the half-bazookas his suit carried.

"I despise you, Regetta. Not only do you challenge Master Ribbons, you think you're superior merely by your association with lowly humans. You arrogant, useless child." Revive confessed as he kept dodging and trying to shoot at Regene's suit.

"I couldn't care less." Regene scoffed. "But if you insist on hurting Anew I shall end you here and now."

Revive's eyes went wide as saucers in manic anger, with a lunatic grin on his face. "WELL, I'D LOVE TO SEE YOU TRY!" Suddenly propelling towards Regene, the Benevolentia drew sharp lines in its twists and turns, taking down Buckler Bits and finally swiftly transforming back into a mobile suit as it impacted the GN Phalanx head on, grabbing its manipulators and crushing the half bazookas, which floated away and exploded nearby.

With clasped manipulators with one another, their head cameras impacted together. "I will destroy you, Regene Regetta, and then I'll take your 'little sister' back. She's my twin, MY PROPERTY!"

Regene pulled the GN Phalanx's head back, then impacted the Benevolentia's head which made it release his suit's manipulators and pull back. "She's her own person now, and I will fight for her right to stay like that!" Covering his now torn down manipulators with Buckler Bits he tranformed them into GN Gauntlets and fired a series of punches with the attempt to crush the Benevolentia's camera and upper joints.

"You disgusting brute!" Revive snarled as he saw the melee assault impact his suit. Judging it wisely, he retreated immediately and transformed into a plane yet again to resume the assault from a distance.

As the Seraphim kept one of the Gadessas entertained with a clash of blades, Tieria managed to take down one of the other remaining suits. "I'll help you soon enough, Lockon, hang in there!"

"Well, hurry up, this guy got the upper hand on close quart-oh, damnit!" Lockon called out, then saw one of his manipulators get sliced off, pistol and all. Letting loose with his remaining pistol and his shield bits, he managed to make the Caritas retreat a little. "I'm gonna end up sliced into ribbons!"

"That would be an improvement." Devine laughed. "Oh, I'm so smart."

"You motherf-" Lockon angrily spat then drew his long rifle to keep the enemy on the defensive.

"A new mobile suit is fast approaching from the back!" Feldt called out sudenly in a panic.

"What?!" Sumeragi called out. "How did it evade radar until now?!"

"It suddenly popped into radar! it must have employed some sort of advanced cloaking!"

"Ian, take it down, now!" Sumeragi ordered.

"It's too fast, prepare for impact!" Ian Vashti called out from the gunnery, then the Ptolomaios was shook by the crash.

"The hangar has been breached!" Mileina called out, and then the hangar's camera feed appeared on the monitor.

"Is that...Anew?!" They saw the lilac-haired innovade run towards the suit, which quickly opened its cockpit to allow her entrance.

* * *

"You accursed pest. Die already!" Revive screamed, shooting a pair of missiles at the GN Phalanx.

"I think not, Revive. Your death will come as a boon. I surmise it's precisely your mental bond with her which allows such easy access to her core programming." Regene replied, taking down the missiles with the Buckler Bits beams.

"Oh? Well, perhaps we should ask her if she's alright with our bond being torn like that, wouldn't you say? You, who is so interested in her opinion?"

"What?" Regene stopped for a moment, then felt a tight grasp on his suit. A Garazzo held him on a deathgrip, and the enemy's cockpit camera allowed him to see who it was. "A-Anew?!"

"Please, destroy me, Mister Regetta! I don't want this! Even if my body won't answer, I don't want anyone to die from them controlling me!"

Gloating from what he saw, Revive stopped a few hundred meters from them. "Beautiful. This is how it should be. Your obedience should be like so, all the time, my dearest Anew."

"Who are you?! What are you doing to me?!" Anew yelled.

"I am part of you, as you are part of me. Two halves of the same coin. I am your twin and you know it deep inside, think!"

And think she did. Yet what came was nothing like what he was expecting. Instead, memories of her time with Regene came to her head. Of how he'd teach her when Veda didn't clarify some details. Of how he willingly served as her guinea pig for her cooking. Of that day when she hugged him like a sister. She finally understood that other day at Trinity Base, what it actually meant.

"Anew..." Regene feared for the worst.

"B-brother?" She finally replied.

"Yes, just like that, my dear Anew." Revive cackled. "Now, hold that traitor tight while I e-" Revive prepared to ram the GN Phalanx while it stood still, gripped by the Garazzo, yet what he got instead was a face full of GN Beams that shredded the Benevolentia's head and right upper area, by taking it without evading or placing any defensive fields up.

"You're not my brother, Revive Revival. I mean Regene!" She sentenced.

"Revive, you imbecile!" Once Devine saw what had happened, he decide to stop playing and sliced the Cherudim's remaining hand and its head, then rushed to where Revive's suit floated motionless.

While floating in space, Regene smiled in full happiness. "You remember, Anew..."

"I missed you, so much, brother." Anew felt tears falling down from her face. Her elation overwhelmed her from finally meeting again with Regene. "I have so much to tell you, so much I've experienced while you were gone."

Regene closed his eyes at that. His little sister was back, and with him. "We'll have time to do that, meanwhile..." He stopped for a moment when he saw the fast approaching plane form of Benevolentia in a course to ram them both into death.

"CURSE YOU, REGENEEEEEEEEEE!" Revive screamed, while his eye was closed due to the blood dripping from his head.

Without words, Regene kicked Anew's Garazzo away, and received the crash fully.

"Regene, no!" Tieria called out, all too late, as he had just managed to take down the last Gadessa.

"Shit!" Lockon was brief in his reaction, and moved quickly to grab Anew's mobile suit.

Meanwhile, Devine simply stopped on his tracks and watched.

With the last of his strength, Regene quickly covered his suit's arms with Buckler Bits and crushed the Benevolentia's cockpit, finally ending Revive with his own hands. Then, from the strain, he simply reclined back, his organs crushed and his mouth dripping with freely floating blood.

"D-damn it, I..." Regene tried, then coughed. A thread of crimson dribbled down from the edge of his mouth, a spray of it floating in the cockpit. "I just wanted a little bit m-more...time."

Against his will, a tear slid from his eye. "I didn't know why, o-or I thought I did. I thought I wanted..." He wheezed, making an effort to talk. "Hah...I thought I-I wanted time to def-to defeat Ribbons. But now I know." Without strength, he simply let the tears and the blood flow, sobbing and feeling his life escape him. "I just wan-wanted...wanted to spend more t-time. M-more time. Time with y-you two...I just wanted t-to..."

Silence permeated the area. His comrades remained still in disbelief. And inside the innovade mobile suit Anew whispered, the tears flowing freely now, as well. "Brother? Brother, talk to me. Keep talking to me. Don't leave me, please don't. I just found you again and now I have to lose you?"

"Anew?" She heard Lyle's voice, in the distance. "Anew let's go, we need to...we need to go back to the ship."

"SHUT UP!" She screamed back, in anger, her tears floating and sticking to her helmet's visor in zero gravity. How could he not see? Her brother needed her, he probably was just too tired to talk anymore. "Shut up! I need to...n-need to! Regene needs me, he can't move! He needs me to retrieve him!"

"Anew, come with me. We'll help Regene, you need to rest, honey." He reached out to the Garazzo. "Come on, Anew."

"No! Let me go!" Anew demanded, yet her hands did not grasp the mobile suit's controls to shake Lockon off. Instead she hugged herself tight and shook her head inside the cockpit, denying the truth that she slowly had to convince herself of.

Regene was gone.

"Let me go! Brother, help me!" Whithdrawing into herself even more she rocked back and forth, her eyes firmly shut and her arms hugging her legs. "Brother, I'm scared, come back. Come back. Come back..."

"You damn fool..." Devine shook his head, then begun his retreat. "Master Ribbons will not be pleased by this, I'm sure..."

* * *

"Tch, how did you get this strong?!" Al-Saachez asked in disbelief. Not only was the twerp meeting him blow for blow, he was actually losing.

"Pay attention, dumbass." Nena calmly replied, then sliced off from the top of his mobile suit's chest up, cleanly.

"Shit!" He purged the suit's remains of its upper half and shot away. "This one is your win, you little bitch, but we'll meet again! And when I win, you'll regret ever facing me!"

Ignoring his boast, she reflected on how much she had moved on. Knowing the truly important things, she quickly rushed towards the Mobile Armor's lower half, which was still shooting away volley after volley of missiles. With a powerful slash she cleaved it in half, then quickly rushed away to avoid the incoming explosion.

Both Soma and Louise sighed in relief. "I was nearing my limit." The blonde commented.

"Well done, Nena." Soma praised. "Now let's see about helping the people down here, hopefully the losses aren't high."

Nena turned up to see the fast retreating pod that contained Ali Al-Saachez, then sighed angrily. "Yes, we need to help them." They then received a communication link from Trinity Base. "Kati, what happened?"

On the other side, the Urdbrunner's bridge seemed tranquil. "The mission is over now, Setsuna's team managed to quell the assault on the civilians without issue and we were never attacked here at Trinity Base."

"Alright!" Louise celebrated and prompted Soma for a high-five with their mobile suits, which she reciprocated.

"That's a relief." Nena blew at her hair. "We'll be done here in a few, we just wanna make sure the populace is alright. As for hostiles, they're all taken down or have retreated."

Kati nodded seriously at that. "Excellent job."

"What about the Ptolomaios, Colonel?" Soma finally asked, and then expected the worst at seeing Kati's expression falter.

"The Ptolomaios was assaulted by Devine Nova and Revive Revival. There was a furious struggle but they managed to destroy Revive Revival and make the rest retreat." She paused, then looked away from the monitor. "However..."

"What is it, what happened?!" Nena asked, fearfully.

"I'm afraid..." She sighed, then turned back to the monitor, with a resignated gaze. "Regene Regetta has fallen in battle."

"No, Regene..." Nena whispered. She felt the deep impact of Regene's loss, then thought of Tieria. They were getting along so well now, like brothers, and now he had to cope with his loss. She punched the side of her cockpit, then placed a hand on Angura for support, while looking to the side, her hand supporting her chin and her expression one of deep sorrow. Trying to make sense of the stupidity of it all.

"Damnit!" Louise struck the side of her cockpit as well, tears swelling and falling freely on her lap. "Damnit, damnit!" She punctuated each exclamation with another strike.

Soma remained silent, reminded of her own recent loss. She had lost her father, and now she had lost one of her precious friends. Yet she steeled her spirit, this time she'd support her friends, and support herself on them as well.

"See to the civilians and come back as soon as possible. That is all." Kati decided any further words would be useless, and as fighters they still had to see to their duty. There would be enough time to mourn later.

Soma acknowledged it. "Roger that, Colonel." The communications link ended, and the three remaining Norns saw to their duties, with their hearts morose.

* * *

"Hiling Care." The green-haired innovade was shook from her reverie at finally exacting her revenge at Wang Liu Mei, by a sudden link from Bring.

"Damnit, I was gloating here. What is it, Bring?" Hiling kicked Wang Liu Mei's corpse away from her path towards the now out-of-work manservant, who was shaking in pain from a lost leg and arm, still trying to crawl towards his master's now still body. She heard him say the annoying woman's name, then felt it would be a mercy to simply end him then and there. She drew her side arm and shot him directly in the head.

"Master Ribbons wishes to speak to us. Report back immediately." Bring curtly informed her.

That got Hiling's full attention. "O-of course, I'm on my way!" She then got a bad feeling somehow. "Did something happen?"

"It seems Revive Revival has fallen. Devine Nova had to retreat from their assault on the Ptolomaios."

"What?!" She angrily asked in confirmation. "That inane fool! I knew he was too focused on that Anew thing!" She then started walking furiously towards where she had left her mobile suit. "Now Master Ribbons will be furious with us!"

"Just come as soon as possible, Hiling Care." Bring finished, then cut the communications.

"Ugh, that idiot Revive!" She stomped the ground, then sighed and quickly calmed herself by thinking of her Master. "Oh well, I'll just have to work extra hard to make Master Ribbons happy."

* * *

A somber mood once again returned to the Trinity Base, and this time they had lost someone that everyone constantly interacted with. Even when he was being gregarious, he was also helpful in his own way. Yet the crews moved on, knowing that he'd ask them to pick up the slack he'd now have to leave on them.

As for the Norns, they retreated into their mission for solace. He'd tell them that now more than ever, they had to move forward, that they shouldn't give Ribbons the pleasure of victory and so, they worked. They had to resume preparations to launch into space.

Nena stood in front of her GN Sniper, by Riya's side. She knew about her friend's infatuation with Purple, so while she checked on the work on her suit, she kept an eye on Riya.

"The Zwei Blade worked like a charm. I managed to make the enemy leader retreat with an overwhelming victory." She commented.

"I'm glad it kept you safe." Riya sincerely replied, she was glad her work protected Nena. Yet the tinge of sorrow slid into her tone.

"I was thinking of a way to mount the Eins Launcher onto my Drei Rifle. To find a way to increase its output even further. I had some trouble with the enemy's GN Field."

"Oh!" Riya remembered. "Actually, I was thinking of something similar. Mister Regene commented that..." At mentioning his name, she felt a knot inside her throat. "H-he said that..." She hiccuped. "T-there was a w...a way to-" She felt Nena's embrace as her tears came unbidden.

"It's ok. You don't need to keep it inside." She tried to comfort it. "Lean on me, honey."

Riya hid her face in Nena's chest. "I j-just wish I had had m-more courage, more time..." She confessed. "And even...even so, I miss him so much. He was also my dear friend."

"I know." Nena hugged Riya tight. "He was a dear friend of mine, too."

After a couple minutes they separated. "But we need to keep fighting." Riya said, while wiping her tears off. "For him now, as well."

"Yeah." Nena smiled with sadness.

* * *

Lyle had left Anew to sleep after she cried her heart out for however long she needed. Standing guard a few meters away from her room, he drank from a water bottle. He wanted to be close in case she needed him. And while he stood guard he saw Tieria approach.

"How's she doing?" Tieria asked, stopping right in front of Lyle.

"She's devastated, of course. Finding him and then immediately losing him again, this time for good? It's too much."

"Of course..." Tieria turned to the side, then back at Lyle. "It had to be done, had we told her, perhaps..."

"I know. I feel like she knows as well. But that doesn't take from the fact that she lost all that time."

Tieria felt silent at that. Even if he wasn't being accused, he justified himself inside his mind. Regene had wanted it that way, to keep her safe. He supposed it had worked in a way.

"How are YOU doing, Tieria?" Lyle asked him back.

"I..." He hesitated. True enough, he had grown quite close to Regene as of late. Having someone to identify with, someone on his side, it was very close to family. And now he was gone. "I'll manage."

"Hey, uh..." Lyle hesitated, then made up his mind. "Look, I've never been good at this kind of stuff so...just remember we're also here." Lyle placed a hand on Tieria's shoulder, making the purple-haired innovade stare in sudden, quick disbelief, then look down and sigh in realization.

"Indeed." He smiled. "I also have to be strong for my sister."

"She -is- your sister, I guess." He realized the obvious. "I mean, you've also been taking care of her."

"And I still will. And I see you got my back on that."

"Well yeah, I'm with her for the long run, if she'll have me."

"Thank you, Lockon."

Lyle smiled. "It's 'Lyle' for you, brother."

A sudden sound starttled the two men in the middle of their bonding, which made them turn around. Shocking both of them, a very determined looking Anew emerged from her room. She walked towards them and stopped for a moment to address them. "I need to talk to everyone, at the bridge. Can you call Setsuna and Allelujah for me, please?"

"U-uh...sure." Lyle complied, a little bit confused.

"Anew?" Tieria tried.

"I'll see you at the bridge." Anew said in a steely voice, then started walking to the aformentioned destination.

* * *

"I have decided I will help the Norns." Anew suddenly declared, once everyone was gathered at the bridge. A sudden gasp from Mileina, a disbelieving 'What?!' from both Lyle and Tieria and shocked expressions from Sumeragi and Rasse happened at the same time, while Setsuna simply crossed his arms.

"Are...are you sure, Anew?" Sumeragi confirmed.

"Yes." Anew continued. "Now that they have lost my brother their fighting forces have severely decreased. I want to continue what my brother started by making up for that loss."

"What about the Ptolomaios, about Celestial Being? We need you here as well." Sumeragi reminded her.

"You functioned well enough without me before I joined up. And Mileina can easily take over. Besides..." She paused, and for a moment, her strong facade faltered. "I wasn't meant to be here in the first place. I was merely a spy."

"You're now a very valuable member of the crew, though." Allelujah noted.

"I know. And I value my experiences with all of you here, as well." Anew reassured everyone. "Yet I feel like our combined effort, with the Norns, will be that much stronger with another capable pilot out there rather than having me cooped up here. I even thought about fighting here with all of you instead, but I feel that your strategies already work well enough. On the other hand the Norns are missing one." She reasoned to the crew of the Ptolomaios.

And to Sumeragi's reluctance, it made sense. It was true enough, having Mileina take over Anew's duties would be tough, but manageable, while leaving the Norns with diminished numbers would be risky. Now that they were allies she had to think of it as well. And while everyone was murmuring, talking out loud, and Lyle even getting closer to Anew and asking again if she was sure, she decided that perhaps it was for the best.

"I just want to know if it's all for a chance of revenge at the Innovators, Anew." She asked.

"I won't deny a part of it is." Anew conceded, closing her eyes. "But what I just said is also true. I will make up for my brother's loss, I want to help his people. I want to make sure his friends are safer in his stead." She finished. And with her slightly red eyes from her hours of coping, her face looked odd, a mixture of grieving and resolution.

"I don't think he'd want you to fight, Anew." Tieria commented, trying to do his part in keeping her safe.

Anew's face softened ever so slightly, and turned to Tieria. "I know." She smiled sadly. "And I know you also want to take care of me...brother." At being addressed as such, Tieria's face showed the ever rare expression of shock, for him. "But he's gone now. I need to do this, please. I need to move on in this manner."

"I have no complaints." Sumeragi decided. "You will still be working with us, in a way. And you're no prisoner here, so I actually thank you for letting us know, instead of, well, just doing it." Sumeragi quipped. "And you do have a suit, I suppose. You might as well wait here for them, since they're coming soon to begin our assault as we had planned. Before they attacked us."

"Agreed." Anew accepted.

"Well then, we better let them know. And we should start working on your suit's maintenance as well."

"I have certain ideas regarding that and the remains of my brother's suit."

"Alright, let's see if we have time for that before we begin, then." Sumeragi nodded.

And after all of it, Lyle went silent in the bridge, with his arms crossed and his brow furrowed.

* * *

As they all readied their suits and the 'Urdbrunner' to finally launch, the crews remained in their grim mood. As if going through the motions they worked and checked every item on their checklists, making sure everything was ready for the launch.

In that mood did Louise find herself submerged. Looking downwards to the floor, sitting in front of her golden GN Fencer, she remained. She remembered the first meeting she had had with mister Regetta and chuckled sadly. Who would have thought they'd eventually become friends?

And now he was gone.

Taken by surprise in her grieving, she felt something akin to a murmur, yet the source of the sound couldn't be made out. Unless she thought of her own center. Furrowing her brow, she paid attention...

Then she heard it again, more clearly.

"Miss Halevy." She heard a voice, and she struggled to remember where she had heard that voice before. And once realization hit her, her eyes went wide as saucers.

"Y-you..." She stuttered. "From my mind?!" She thought back this time. "Get out of my mind! It's all your fault!" As she communicated back to demand that bastard to leave her, her face displayed anger, even if she didn't say anything out loud again.

"Is it? I suppose, in a way. I'm guessing you mean Regene Regetta's untimely...demise." She could even feel a smirk behind the words, and that only incensed her further.

"Curse you, Ribbons! I was a fool to ever trust you!"

"Perhaps so." He admitted. "Yet it gave you a chance to meet your beloved friends, did it not?"

"Like hell you're taking credit for that!" She snarled in silence.

"Ah, I wouldn't say that. I feel quite content that you managed to forge bonds with your Norns." Yet again, she could feel his words dripping with mocking. "But I digress, We had a deal back then, and even though you despise me I never forgot about it. Do you remember?" He awaited for her response.

"I..." And remember she did, how could she ever forget? Yes, it had lain dormant inside of her, buried by her experiences with the Norns, with her friends, making it go to the depths of her mind. She would later reflect how it had been a masterful stroke from Ribbons Almark that he had taken her in yet another vulnerable state and unearthed her anger like that in a moment.

Yes, she hadn't forgotten her thirst for revenge.

"Why would I trust you, anyways?" She remained cautious.

"You don't need to. I'll simply show you evidence. Evidence that's already where you are. Impossible to tamper with, too." He cryptically told her. "Yes, I may be a lot of things, but an oathbreaker I am not. I shall guide you to learn who did it and once you see the evidence you'll know." He paused for effect. "And then you'll just have to confirm it, by yourself. Once you do, and if you wish, I'll finish my part of the deal. I will not bother you ever again if you decide against it but, if you decide to go ahead with our deal, you merely need to reach out. I will be waiting. And now...I invite you to go look at the hangar's container number '7' and then ask the attending crew just who's suit is it. I just opened it remotely. Good luck, miss Halevy." He cut communications and, indeed, a sound of moving plates was heard from a distance.

She hesitated, was it truly that clear cut? Was the perpetrator there, in the base? Would she be able to fulfill her vengeance? Perhaps she ought to wait until they finished their immediate goal? Or perhaps she would simply find out, and quietly monitor them. Yes, she thought as she stood up, her legs shaking. She'd go check the hangar's container '7' and just ask who exactly did the suit belong to. Suspecting it was that damn red-and-white suit that sealed her family's fate years ago she steeled her resolve. And walked...

Standing before the container, she didn't notice the crewman in charge scramble to find out just why the hell was the container opening on its own and looked at the Throne Drei's dreaded visage. He legs threatened to give out and her throat to close, yet she took a deep breath. "Remember how to calm down." She murmured to herself, and walked towards the crewman. "Excuse me..."

"Oh, Lieutenant Halevy! What can I do for you? Tch, damn machine...ah, there." She heard the man curse low, then manage to instruct the container to begin closing.

"It's nothing much, really. That suit looks quite unique, who's the pilot?" She calmly asked, and awaited the name of her family's murderer.

"Ah! Yeah, that's a rather cool one, isn't it? The Gundam Throne Drei..." He sighed in admiration, then froze Louise's blood with his non-chalant delivery of the name.

"It's Lieutenant Nena Trinity's old mobile suit, actually!"

* * *

Well, and there you go! I suppose part of why it took me so long, besides the, um, lack of time, was having to finally decide to go ahead with killing Regene. Believe me when I say I really liked writing him and killing him here made me hesitate, and rewrite once and again. And then there's the end of the chapter. Louise finally has learned the name of who just killed her family and you bet the next episode will see that time bomb explode right on Nena's face.

Also, I know I'm not very good at describing stuff, or at least I think so. The Innovade's golden mobile suits? 'Caritas' is based on the Gundam Astray, and the 'Benevolentia' is based on the Gundam Airmaster. If you got it while reading then...yay me! But I probably wasn't good enough to make it clear? Anyways, maybe that'll help you imagine it better, their scenes.

As always, I thank you for your continued reading. I truly hope you enjoyed reading this one as much as I enjoyed writing it. That's all from me for this chapter, until next time!


	27. Nena and Louise

Man, here we are. After more than 3 months I managed to pull this one off, so here it is for you guys. I warn you beforehand of some slightly strong language, which I didn't want to exaggerate on despite what we all know is gonna happen. This is all about Nena and Louise, as the chapter says. So here it goes.

* * *

**Chapter 24 - Nena and Louise**

Of course she couldn't believe it, it was impossible. The one that had killed her family couldn't possibly be Nena. Not her dear Nena. Of course not.

"Is that so? How interesting!" She made a titanic effort not to stutter, even as her hands shook.

"Yeah! Back at the old base we employed her pilot data to develop mobile suits." He explained, yet she half listened. It was most likely a mistake, maybe Nena had simply obtained the suit afterwards. Yeah...that was probably it.

"Alright! That's cool. Huh." She said to the crewman. "Well, don't let me interrupt you anymore! We're quite on a tight schedule as it is, hm?"

"Yeah, I'm on it! Dunno how the container's door malfunctioned. I guess some mechanical failure or something, seems it's fine now."

"I'll see you around, then!" Louise chirped.

"See you around, Lieutenant!"

* * *

She stood at the room's opened door, looking at Nena. She said nothing as she saw her friend browse some notes, most likely readying herself before their departure.

"Hey, what's up?" Nena greeted her without looking up, she already knew it was Louise. She knew her presence after all these years, one could even say she knew her particular sweet scent. 'Like marigolds', she had once told Louise.

The memory made her smile, and reaffirm what she thought. Of course it wasn't Nena. She'd make sure of it in a moment.

"Oh, nothing much, yeah. Just...just wanted to see you." Louise replied, at which Nena smiled, still without looking up.

"You wanted a kiss before we went up?" Nena teased.

"Hehe..." Louise laughed nervously. "Nah, just a little question. I saw the crews giving maintenance to a red mobile suit, looked pretty cool." She commented, and Nena finally looked at her, with a calm expression. "The 'Throne Drei', they called it. That one's yours, yeah?"

"Oh yeah, my old buddy." Nena shrugged. "We've had some history together." She confirmed non-chalantly.

_'I knew that much. That doesn't mean anything yet, though.'_ Louise calmed herself. "You been with it for long?"

"Yup yup, quite a while..." Nena nodded.

"How'd you get it, anwyays? I don't think it's from any military." Louise continued.

"Ah, I've had that one since it was built. Before I met Kati and Patters and the people at the base." Nena smiled sadly, remembering her times with her brothers. "Maybe I'll tell you the story sometime after our mission."

It took everything from herself to keep Louise's voice level. "W-Why don't you tell me now? I think we have time..." She pleaded.

"Nah, it's a really long story." Nena said, kind of wishing she didn't need to ever tell that story. not to someone as dear to her as Louise. She dreaded to think what she'd say after learning of her old terrorist activities. "I promise I'll tell you the story after our mission, tho'."

"No." Louise pushed. "Please, tell me now."

"...huh?" Nena noticed the deteriorating expression in Louise's face. "What's going on? Lou? Are you ok, honey?" Nena looked at her, completely baffled. What was up with her?

"I know." Louise lowered her face.

"You...know?" Nena asked, raising an eyebrow in wonder.

"He..." Now her facade began crumbling. "I've b-been told. What I was l-looking for. What I w-was looking." Tears came unbidden and Nena moved forward to hug Louise.

"Sweetie? What do you mean?"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Louise slapped Nena's hand away and took a step back, into the room. "Why don't you tell me about the suit?! Why don't you tell me what you did five years ago?!"

"What I...d-did?" Now it was Nena's turn to stutter.

In a low, growling tone, Louise replied "It was you. You're the one who piloted the red Gundam, five years ago. You were at Spain back then!" She grabbed the sides of her head, the realization hurting her almost physically. "But I couldn't believe it! Tell me it's a lie!" Louise tried to grasp at the odd chance it was all a sick joke.

Nena's blood froze in that moment, her eyes wide as saucers. Louise had been there, her Lou. She had been at the celebration that her 17-year old self had decided was 'having too much fun.' She had done that to Louise. She looked at her hands in disbelief.

Her tears still streaming down, Louise pleaded. "B-but it's a lie, isn't it? You didn't do it. Someone s-stole your suit and did it. Someone else did it, isn't it?" A mockery of a smile appeared on Louise's face. "It wasn't you! You didn't murder my family, did you? DID YOU?!"

But Nena decided, Louise at least deserved to know the truth. She closed her eyes and put on a neutral face as she saw Louise's bitter tears flow.

"It's...it's the truth." Nena admitted, as Louise felt the strength of her legs finally fail. "It was me, I made that attack on those civilians back then, at Spain. I'm the one who killed your family, Louise."

Louise could barely believe what she heard. "No. No, no, no, no..."

"It's the truth, Louise." She repeated herself.

"No! It wasn't you! It wasn't...NO!" Her bloodcurling scream made Nena take a step back.

Louise struck the floor until her hand hurt. "Why?! Why did it have to be you?! You're my most precious friend and now I find out that..." She couldn't even say it, her mind denying the hard facts and Nena's own admittance again and again. The person that had given her a hand, had taken her under their wing, had been there when she was most vulnerable. The person that had saved her more than once already in battle.

That same person was the one that had slaughtered her entire family, her mind reminded her, and she began to rise from the floor.

"You killed them! Why would you do that, WHY?!" She suddenly stood up, fury fueling her body. She grabbed Nena's uniform's collar and slammed her against the wall.

Nena just gritted her teeth and said nothing, looking to the side.

"SAY SOMETHING!" Louise demanded.

It took all of her strength to not start crying right then and there and face Louise. "I don't have any answers that would be useful to you, Louise."

"SAY IT ANYWAY, SAY ANYTHING!" She slammed Nena once more against the wall, making her close her eyes and grit her teeth again from the impact.

"I didn't know any better, Louise! I was born and made for that kind of fucked up thinking and that alone! I was made in a tube, A TUBE! I don't even know who my parents are or were or whatever!" Nena screamed, angry at herself. "I know there's no justifying it but...I never knew anything other than war or murder back then. And now thanks to these last five years, now I do know better! It doesn't make it right but at least I can say I'm not the same person as back then!"

Louise took on what Nena had said and snarled. "True enough. That's worth nothing to me, alright." She relaxed her grip on Nena's uniform and let her slide down, looking to the floor as her tears kept coming. Her most beloved friend, and now her worst enemy. Vengeance didn't even feel worth it anymore, seeing at how it'd make her even more miserable, to kill someone she loves. Or used to love. She just felt like withdrawing into herself and forgetting, forgetting it all. After all, a part of her could tel that the Nena in front of her would be incapable of such wanton acts of murder. It was true that she wasn't the same person.

But still it didn't make it any better.

"Y-you and I...w-we'll..." Louise hesitated for a split second. She had it right here, the object of her vengeance. And yet she couldn't finish it. "We're done. F-forever. I don't ever want to see your fucking face, never again."

A part of Nena broke apart with those words, yet she could understand. If anything, this was once again getting away with things cheaply. Her moment of greatest idiocy would haunt her forever. "I understand. You'll never see me again." She accepted, her eyes firmly on the floor.

Louise sobbed once again, then turned around and started walking away.

"For what's worth, Lou, I really liked being friends with you, I really liked being with you. Even if it amounts to nothing in the end, I want you to know that." Nena tried one final time, as she stood up.

It made Louise stop. Quickly she turned around, walked briskly towards Nena and closed her fist. The impact of her punch shook Nena's skull, making her fall again on her butt and making Louise's fist hurt. Her eyes were once again covered in tears. "The worst part is that I did, too!" Was all she could manage. She turned one more time, gripped her knuckle tight while gritting her teeth in pain, both physical and emotional, then once again walked away.

Nena remained there, sitting, her eyes firmly stuck to the floor, tasting the blood inside her mouth. She amusedly reflected for a moment that her Lou really packed a punch...

No. It wasn't her Lou anymore.

As soon as Louise was out of the room she sobbed, and then started crying, alone.

* * *

In the orbital base 'Celestial Being', Ribbons listened and smiled. The pieces moved as expected, and his goal came closer and closer to his reach. When he saw Halevy deliver her fist to Trinity's face, he winced in amusement. "Ouch, now that's something worthy of a novel, alright." He quipped. And through all of his reactions Hiling waited standing in front of him, mesmerized by his range of expressions. And then suddenly he broke her out of her reverie when he directly spoke to her. "Hiling, dear, I gave the maintenance crews instructions earlier today, go now and ride your suit to Trinity Base to collect our new collaborator."

That one she wasn't aware of. "Certainly, Master. Who would that collaborator be?"

"A certain lady called 'Louise Halevy'. I'm sure you'll get along just fine."

She frowned. "A human, I suppose?"

"Will that be a problem?" He inquired without looking at Hiling.

She took on a bow and genuflected. "Certainly not, Master."

"Good. Then go already and bring her to us. Do not engage unless provoked and only to ensure her safe departure." He instructed her, and saw Hiling move to obey. As she neared the door to leave he stopped her. "And take 'Iustitia' with you."

Hiling turned back at that, with her eyes wide. Seems like the mystery of just who was going to pilot the one Gundam without a operator was finally clarified. She bowed again. "As you command, Master."

* * *

She ran, not quite knowing where she was going. Moving as if running would get her away from the reality she had just learned. He tears kept flowing, unbidden, and her hand kept going up to her eyes, to wipe them away. While on her other arm, and not quite reflecting on why she had taken it, the little Haro robot 'Litchi' tried to make sense of what was happening.

"Lulu, where are we going? Lulu, where are we going?" The reddish-pink robot asked.

Yet her heart was the very image of turmoil, unable to answer.

Because Nena was a person she loved so much. But Nena had ruined her life. Yet Nena had protected her time and time again. Even so, Nena had murdered her family. Nena had kept her sane, and at the same time it had been Nena who placed her in need of succor in the first place. And so on, and so on...

And in her turmoil she heard Ribbons' voice again. "Miss Halevy, would it be right to assume that you're taking me up for the second part of our deal?" He asked.

"Y-yes..." Was all she could manage in return.

"Very well. Then do exit Trinity Base and wait outside. One of my subordinates will pick you up." He replied curtly. She briefly thought it was in a way a rather strange moment to hear him talk to her without false politeness or somesuch.

* * *

The alarm sounded on the standing crew's radar suddenly, showing two object that approached Trinity Base quickly. "Two unidentified suits have entered our perimeter, prepare for an attack! Call Colonel Mannequin!" He shouted to the rest of the crew and they scrambled immediately, only to be surprised by the sudden appearance of Kati Mannequin herself on the bridge.

"I suppose that was the nagging feeling I kept having. What's the situation?" She said without missing a beat as she approached the radar operator's seat.

"Ma'am, a couple of unidentified mobile suits are on route to our base. We're assuming it's a surprise assault from the Innovators!"

"But with only two suits?" She immediately wondered, yet realized it wouldn't do to react slowly. She barked an order at the young woman sitting at the base's communications panel. "Notify everyone that we're under attack! Have the gunners man 'Urdbrunner' to employ its railguns and beam cannons! And have the Norns get on their machines!"

With no acknowledgement but a quick nod, the woman turned on the microphone and relied Kati's orders to the base.

"Just what are they up to, now? Are they merely playing with us?"

* * *

Hiling felt the distinctive adrenaline rush of being targetted by the enemy's defense systems. "I guess they wish to send her out with fireworks, huh? I'll be happy to obligue!" She smirked, then her smile quickly vanished. "Or I would if Master Ribbons hadn't markedly ordered me to merely make it a pick up run. Now, where are you, kitten?" She looked around for the beacon signal that she was supposed to pay attention to and then found it. About four hundred meters away from the base there it stood, the object of her mission. As if she was just dancing around she dodged beam shots one after the other, even with the added mass of 'Iustitia' slowing her ever so slightly.

And as both her suit and the 'Iustitia' landed, she opened the cockpit. "Miss Halevy, I presume?" She took her time as she knew that the angle of attack was blocked by the plateu she stood behind from now. "Master Ribbons cordially invites you to accompany him at his asteroid base. And your toy as well, I suppose." She quipped as she noticed the Haro under the blonde girl's arm.

Her face marked by dried trails of tears, Louise simply nodded at the green haired girl that had just arrived.

Hiling had to admit she was rather cute, almost like a lost puppy. Yes, endearment out of pity. "Well then, let us not keep my Master waiting. Please do ride this other mobile suit and follow me." And as she said this, a couple other mobile suits arrived cautiously.

Louise could hear Soma's firm voice come from above, and as she turned, she noticed that Nena had also arrived on her GN Sniper. "You're surrounded, Innovator! Get away from Lieutenant Halevy. Surrender and you'll be spared!"

Hiling snorted, then went into a fit of laughter, in jarring contrast to the situation at hand. As she laughed, Soma trained her lance's pistol at the suit, while Nena simply waited. "Oh, you're serious? Now that's just rich!" The green-haired girl managed to say between cackles. "Hahahaha! Oh goodness, I haven't laughed like this in a while!" And even as a shot landed next to her suit, Hiling kept laughing without missing a beat.

"The next shot will not be a warning! Step away from your suit and from our friend!" Soma yelled.

"YOUR friend?" Hiling taunted. "You don't even know what's going on here, do you? She's coming out of her own volition, why do you think I brought two suits?"

"What..." Soma murmured, her pistol dropping slightly. And then she turned to Nena as she felt the GN Sniper's hand land on her own suit's shoulder.

"This is...Louise's decision. We need to let her go." Nena said, her voice tinged with palpable sadness.

Through their uncanny link, Soma felt the wrongness of the situation, and somehow understood. Yet without knowing all of the facts it only confused her more. "What are you talking about, Nena, what the hell is happening?"

Louise finally spoke up. "I'm leaving the Norns, Soma. I can't be there anymore, not with her." She said as she pointed at the GN Sniper.

"Nonsense! What the hell is going on, why go to the enemy? What are you trying to do? Do you even KNOW what you're doing?!" As she kept speaking the sentences, Soma's voice grew wilder.

"Just let her go, Soma!" Nena stood in front of the GN Lancer, giving her back to the other two with her suit's arms spread out.

"Aw, and here I was hoping we could kerfuffle a bit before I had to go back..." Hiling snarked and Louise directed her an angered stare.

"Let's just go." Louise growled at the other girl, and moved to climb inside the golden suit's cockpit.

"I don't understand! We're gonna have to fight her!? She's our friend!" Soma yelled once more. "I'M NOT FIGHTING LOUISE!"

"Our friends! Our friends!" Litchi waved its little noodly arms, as if trying to notify its partner that they'd be safe with Soma and the others.

As she heard Soma's words, Louise winced. It was indeed not Soma's fault whatsoever and her decision would most likely make her face this other friend she cherished. Even if they weren't as close as how she was-HAD been with Nena, she was also a very dear person to her.

And seeing her hesitate, Hiling crossed her arms and tried to hurry her. "Make up your mind, girl. Even though you know this is how you'll get what you want."

Louise grit her teeth and closed her eyes as she fully entered her new suit's cockpit and gently placed Litchi on the control board as best as she could. "Shut up." She murmured.

"Wow, rude..." Hiling chortled, then turned to the other two. "Well, that's that. And from the person's mouth. Just so you understand it's her own decision." She smirked. "Not that it'll make any difference, heh." She said to herself as she closed her own suit's cockpit as well and began rising into the skies, to lead the new girl back to base.

Soma could see the GN Sniper's cockpit camera feed and noticed one of the things that had contributed to the odd sensation to it all. Nena's helmet was obscured with solar protection even though they were on Earth.

This was all wrong.

As she saw the other two suits begin to shrink away Soma yelled one last time. "Whatever is happening, we'll save you, Louise! I won't abandon you!"

On the edge of her view she could see Nena shaking in her cockpit.

And in the cockpit of 'Iustitia', Louise shook, too.

* * *

Landing on the base's hangar, Soma quickly took off her helmet and ran towards Nena, who was just walking away from her own mobile suit, holding herself against the scaffolding's column. Without offering resistance, Soma removed the redhead's helmet and saw the swollen bruise on Nena's face, and the tear-induced bloodshot eyes.

And as Soma looked at those eyes she understood. She didn't say anything, she only held Nena in a firm hug, and even though she was the smaller woman, Nena's body shrank into Soma's embrace. Yes, Soma understood, Nena's past had finally reached her. She smacked herself for not realizing it before, even after reading about Louise's past. So focused she was on training her new companion back then that she never stopped to try and make the connection. Would things have changed if they had sat together and try to make sense out of it all? Would it make any difference, seeing as how this happened when their bond was strongest? And through the bond she had with Nena, she almost felt on the verge of tears, but this time she'd be the strong one.

Besides, she'd make it so there would be no reason to cry, somehow. She'd bring Louise back, she just didn't know how, yet.

Riya, Andy, Kati and Patrick soon joined the two women and just stood there, not quite knowing what to do. After a couple minutes, Nena finally separated from Soma and turned to see the others. Riya and Patrick gasped as they saw the state of Nena's face, while Kati's brows furrowed in motherly anger and Andy winced in worry.

Nena softly chuckled in self-deprecation. "I look that bad, huh?"

The first to move ahead were Kati and Patrick. He softly cupped Nena's unharmed cheek and Kati placed her hand on the girl's shoulder. "What happened, dear?" Kati asked in concern.

"I..." She felt the tears try to come yet again, but managed to fight them back. "I guess this one...should be heard by all four of you."

"Let's go to my quarters at the 'Urdbrunner'." Kati suggested and they followed, Nena leaning on Soma, with her hand intertwined with Patrick's. Meanwhile, Andy followed close, not quite knowing what to do, while Riya scrambled to take some medical supplies.

* * *

Once they reached Kati's quarters, Andy brought a chair for Nena and Patrick helped her sit. Meanwhile Soma stood silently behind her, like a faithful guardian and Riya had finally entered the room with a disinfectant, a square bandage and ice to help reduce the swelling on Nena's face.

They waited patiently for Nena to begin her talk as Riya silently began curing Nena's injury.

"You two don't know this, so I guess now is as good as any time to tell you." She said and they somehow knew she was referring to Riya and Andy. "I...when I was younger I was with Celestial Being." Andy crossed his arms and furrowed his brow, and Riya simply looked at Nena's eyes for a second, then continued with her work. "I worked with Celestial Being with my two now deceased brothers, we were Team Trinity. The base we are in now and the mothership we used to upgrade this old ship Kati brought were ours. That's why they're called the way they are. That's my last name after all, 'Nena Trinity'."

She closed her eyes to gather on strength to continue. "We were test tube babies." At this, Andy grew a bit uncomfortable, but remained silent. "We were made for one purpose only, to further a plan to make humanity come together. For peace? Perhaps, but there's soemthing more we never really knew about. What we did know is that to fulfill that purpose we'd need to be hated. Nothing brings people together like hating someone in common. And for that we were raised to make war." She finally looked at Riya's face. "And boy, were we good at it." She made a wry smile and Riya returned a truly warm one. Nena's own smile grew slightly warmer as well, managing to separate her soul a little bit from that past she was talking about. She then turned to the room in general. "We destroyed military bases, weapon caches, strategic targets, you name it. While the main 'Celestial Being' team punished those that engaged in war, we destroyed their means. But that's just a way to apply some make up to what we did. We were..." She snarled at what she knew now. "We were fucking terrorists. And from our upbringing we loved it, all that destruction, God!" She finally broke down and brought her hands to her face. Soma placed her hand on Nena's shoulder and Riya embraced her friend, kissed the top of her head. After a minute, Nena finally managed to calm down, while Patrick looked to the side, with tears of his own.

She raised her face and steeled her spirit, for she hadn't even said the worst part yet. Riya remained kneeling by her side, with her hand on Nena's knee, and Nena wondered if the sweet girl would retreat back once she heard of the horrific act she had done. "Had we only done that, I guess I could still live with myself, but I managed to taint my soul even further. All by my lonesome." She closed her eyes, took a deep breath. "As we were on our way to conduct one of our missions, my younger self noticed a certain celebration in Spain..." Once she said this, she noticed Andy uncrossing his arms and slowly placing them to the sides._ 'So he heard of that one and he finally learns who did it.'_ She thought. She didn't even dare to look at him. "I saw them happily celebrating a wedding, family and friends, everyone enjoying their beautiful life. And I thought back then 'Why do they get to have fun while I have to work?'. That I thought. So I..." She shook her head. "I killed them all."

"I see..." She heard Andy's voice, turned to look at him and she saw him look down to the side, his eyes expressing a need to make sense of it.

That reaction she could understand, but strangely enough, Riya hadn't moved an inch, and that made Nena feel both strengthened yet in disbelief. "And, well, soon after we were hunted even harder, and eventually we were caught. Barely managing to escape we found ourselves assaulted by someone. That mercenary guy we fought yesterday, Ali Al-Saachez. He killed my brothers as they protected me and by providence, just before he went on to kill me, I was saved by one of the 'Celestial Being' guys. I ran away yet again, and then Patters found me." She turned to look at Patrick and his wry smile at remembering that made her nod at him. "I confessed then, to Kati, about the things I had done and sometime later I was put on trial. I got away with it by virtue of being a minor."

"You got away." Andy crossed his arms.

"Yes, and cheaply at that." She shook her head. "And I thought that would be it but...I didn't know someone had survived it. Someone had been there to celebrate her cousins' marriage, happy with her whole family, surrounded by people she loved. Louise was there and I turned one of the happiest moments of her life into a living hell." She looked down at her hands, the hands that had pulled the trigger back then. "Neither of us knew, me thinking that I could maybe eventually leave that life of wanton destruction behind me, her feeling that she could get stronger as she trained with us, to maybe someday find her family's executor and exact revenge. And she did get stronger." She lowered her head, a small smile on her face. "And she found that dreaded person. That's how she now has the possibility to avenge her family. Now she will try to kill me."

Andy punched the wall where he was leaning hard, with tears on his eyes, then walked out of the room. Everyone silently let him leave.

Nena chuckled. "I guess I won't be cuddling with him anymore now, huh?"

Riya took a nearby chair to finally rise from her kneeling position. "Ow, ow, my legs..." She murmured, then grabbed Nena's hands. "Honey, Andy once told me that he had lost an aunt, uncle and cousins from his mother's side, at a terrorist attack in Spain five years ago. It seems his aunt was friends with the Halevys and they were there as well."

Soma closed her eyes in understanding, yet remained rooted to her spot as Nena's sentinel. Nena's eyes went wide as saucers, then once again shook her head as she closed them. "Another person I love that I have hurt." She felt bad from how she could merely hiccup now, but she had cried so much that night. So much.

Patrick closed the distance between them with a couple steps and embraced his little sister. "You're not that person anymore, Nena. You're my baby sister. And I love you. Kati loves you, Soma loves you, and so does Riya. You are loved, do you hear me?" He felt Nena shake and nod, as his own tears once again threatened to go out.

Kati also shook her head, and as head of their little, curious family, she held back her sadness to be their pillar. She knew that if she went there she'd also surrender to her emotions so she remained sitting at her desk. "Nena, dear, what do you want to do?"

_'That's right.'_ Nena thought. "In the end this is my mess and if I really mean it I'll do something about it. But since even I can be loved then I can honor that love." She turned to look at each one of the four people that loved her the most in this world. "I can't take back the horrible things I've done. All I can do is make my own way, acting on what I believe in. I told Louise that the person I am now is very different to the one I was back then, as Patters said." Patrick nodded at that. "If I can manage it I want to rescue Louise from her hatred, because revenge will only taint her soul. But if she wants it then...yes, I will grant her a battle. But I cannot lose. I won't throw away this life that is cherished by my people, this life that can work hard to correct the errors of the past."

Soma finally spoke since they entered the room. "We still have a world to save, after all, right?"

"That we do." Nena nodded. "Even though we're now two people short, we'll manage somehow." And as if it was waiting for their resolution to harden, a communication link attempt beeped on Kati's desk and on the monitor on the wall.

"Leesa? I hope it's nothing bad." Kati commented as she accepted the call. "Greetings, Leesa. Is anything wrong on your end?"

"Kati, good day. Nothing's wrong, I merely contact you to notify you of an asset moving to meet your people at Trinity base." Sumeragi replied. "Miss Anew Returner wishes to bolster your ranks and she wonders if you'd be willing to take her in."

"Why, absolutely, yes." Kati was unable to keep her surprise in check as she turned to look to the others and back to the monitor. "We do have need of capable pilots right now."

"Excellent, we have just finished the modifications she requested on her suit and so she should be with you in the morrow. I thank you for accepting her, she's truly a valuable member and a very dear friend of all here."

"We shall take care of her, you need not worry."

"I'm confident of that. Well, that would be all from me, we're also getting ready for our assault on the Innovator's base." Sumeragi nodded.

"Actually, we do have some bad news for you." Kati began. "One of our pilots has decided to join the Innovators."

"What?!" now it was Sumeragi's turn to be shocked, and everyone on the bridge reacted accordingly as they heard Kati's claim.

"I'm afraid Louise Halevy has decided to support them, for her own reasons. While we suspect she might not be of a sound mind to have done so, we think you should still be warned. I'm sending you the camera feed from the GN Sniper and GN Lancer on the appearance of her new mobile suit. Since she's still someone we hold in high esteem, we humbly ask that if you are forced to engage her, you try to merely disable her."

"That's impossible...why, Louise?" Saji leaned back in shock, with his eyes wide open. Louise was with the enemy now?

"It will be alright, Saji Crossroad." Setsuna said in his curt way of speaking, which earned him a stare of shock from the alluded man, a stare that wished to believe what Setsuna was saying. "We have the power to take her back and make her reflect on what she's doing."

"Setsuna..." Saji's expression changed to one of a succored heart.

"Thank you for letting us know, Kati. We'll make sure to be careful." Sumeragi acknowledged the message.

"Yes, thank you as well. We will make some adjustments to the plan, taking that into consideration, but we should be able to move ahead at the same projected time."

"Very well. Ptolomaios signing out." Sumeragi closed the communication, and everyone sighed at the same time.

"At least it's not only the two of us, now." Soma observed.

"Yeah." Nena commented.

"The two of you, I'm going to need you to rest until the moment of departure." Kati ordered. "We will finish preparations on our side."

"Roger that." Nena nodded, mildly.

"Yes, ma'am." Soma acknowledged the order, and moved to help Nena up. "Let's rest together, Nena. I feel like you might need it."

"Yeah, thanks for that."

As the two women left the room, Riya and the other two stayed behind. "I think we're all ready on our side, Colonel." Patrick told Kati in a serious tone.

"Good. I need you and your team to rest as well." Kati nodded.

"Yes, ma'am." He saluted and left the room too.

"I should probably check on Andy, make sure he doesn't do anything stupid..." Riya lamented.

"If you have any problems, let me know." Kati sighed, knowing what the younger woman meant.

Once she was left alone in her quarters, Kati plopped down on her chair. "I suppose it's never easy." She covered her eyes with the back of her hand, exhausted. "Will it be alright, I wonder? Can I keep my people safe?" She remained so for a couple minutes, trying to calm her mind.

"I should probably rest, too."

* * *

"Welcome, Miss Halevy, to our little slice of heaven." Ribbons spread his arms wide open as he received Louise. The blonde woman entered the penthouse-like room, taking on the place's oddly placed architecture. Closely behind, Hiling entered the room as well, and waited.

"Thank you." Was all she could manage.

"How did you find your new mobile suit?" Ribbons placed his arms behind his back as he asked.

"It feels rather powerful. Like it can down a full army by itself." Louise admitted.

"Ah yes, you would be right." Ribbons moved to her side as he guided her inside the room proper. "It is on par with our new set of mobile suits, the 'Gundam Iustitia'. 'Justice', as what you yearn for."

"Too bulky! Too bulky!" Litchi voiced what Louise had politely declined to comment.

"Oh? And what do we have here, a Haro unit?" Ribbons noticed the tiny robot in Louise's arms and furrowed his brows as he was unable to recognize its signal pattern nor its serial number. "What a curious little one."

"He's my partner, Litchi." Louise said. "If I may, I would be even more thankful if you could make a minor adjustment to the cockpit to let him assist me."

"Lulu's partner! Lulu's partner!" Litchi claimed, and if it had a chest it would have puffed it.

"Why, you..." Hiling growled under her breath, at this human daring to find flaws in Master Ribbons design.

"I'll see what can be done, dear Miss Halevy." Ribbons genially obligued. "Meanwhile...ah!" He stopped himself once the other two individuals he was expecting arrived. "Your timing is impeccable, children. Miss Halevy, allow me to introduce the rest of our team of elite pilots. Bring Stabity and Devine Nova." He pointed to each of the new arrivals in turn as he introduced them.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance." Bring bowed.

"Yo." Devine greeted her casually.

"Innovators, Miss Halevy shall fill the void left by poor Revive's demise. And I'm sure she will do so admirably. Make sure to get along with her."

"As my Master commands." Bring once again bowed.

"Wait...you're the golden suit pilot, right? Damn, you did a number on me last time! Too bad we're on the same side now, I was itching for a rematch against you and the other two, yeah?" Devine slumped a bit, then straightened yet again. "Oh well, easy comes easy goes, let's see how we work together."

"Just don't get in my way..." Hiling snarled, and one could almost say she was feeling jealous towards the attentions that Master Ribbons was giving to that blonde girlie. No way a human would be able to perform as necessary.

"Well then, I suppose you might want to rest after the evening's...events. If I'm correct, we'll be having visitors before a day passes so we have prepared some chambers for you. I hope you find them accomodating." Ribbons smiled at Louise almost charmingly. "So while we make the adjustments to your Gundam's cockpit...Hiling!" He called for the other girl in the room, who stood in attention immediately. "Be a dear and take her to her chambers."

"Why m-yes, Master, as you wish..." Hiling began then surrendered immediately once Ribbons directed a smile with his eyes closed towards her.

"Thank you very much, Mister Almark. And I'm sure we'll get along just fine, everyone. All I ask is for the chance to fulfill my goal." She bowed in greeting to each of her new teammates, to which Bring nodded, Devine tossed a thumbs up and Hiling turned around towards the entrance.

"You coming, or what?" Hiling asked rudely.

"Certainly." Louise ignored her manners and followed behind the other girl.

Once they were out of the room, Devine came closer to Ribbons. "Master, I don't think little Hiling likes the human girl."

"Has she ever liked a human girl, Devine?" Ribbons quipped. "But no matter, her purpose is to sow chaos aming their ranks, and all she asks is to destroy the Trinity girl. Win-win, I'd say." He shrugged, then smiled. "Isn't it beautiful? That sentiment humans have?"

Devine raised an eyebrow. "I'm afraid I don't follow, Master."

Ribbons turned around, like a boy who had just finished watching his favorite show, and placed his hands on Devine's shoulders. "Revenge, my dear Devine, vengeance! Oh, how blind they go! If there's something I love of the human heart is the irresistible power that revenge has!"

"Ah! Of course! Veda had something to say about that. I think..." Devine grinned, then his grin faltered once he tried to make sense of what Veda had tried to teach him back then, not quite being succesful at remembering.

"The desire to exact a retribution against a true or perceived slight, Devine Nova." Bring stated matter-of-factly. Devine murmured 'Oh right...' at that.

"Precisely. Well done, Bring. If you ever need to have a human do your bidding, you would do well to remember that." Ribbons crossed his arms and nodded with his eyes closed.

"Eh, as long as I can fight, I'm alright." Devine shrugged.

Ribbons placed a hand on Devine's shoulder and clicked his tongue while shaking his head. "Tsk, tsk, I forget how basic you can be, dear Devine. But I digress. Get ready, you two. There will soon be a party on our backyard and I intend to enjoy it. Bring! I'm leaving for Veda's so do make sure our four Gundams are ready to present battle at any time!"

"Your wish is my command, Master." Bring deeply bowed at his Master's order.

"I...guess I'll go kill time at the simulator, then!" Devine claimed, seeing how he'd have to be on standby to fulfill his bloodlust.

* * *

"ANDY!" He heard Riya's voice calling him as he put his stuff on his backpack, ready to leave the base.

"No, Riya! I won't...she's the one! Aunt Milly...and Gigi. A-and...damn it!" He punched the wall in his frustration.

"She's not like that anymore! Why can't you understand!?"

"YOU wouldn't be able either if you had lost family to her as well! Just..." He fell silent, breathing deep to calm down. "I told you back then. This is why I joined the military. To cooperate towards the efforts that make sure acts like that would never happen again."

"Andy..."

"Enough. I won't get in her way, but don't ask me to help her." He pleaded.

"She needs you."

He closed his eyes at that, and grit his teeth. He did love Nena, she was such a lively woman. Like fresh air, the complement to his quiet persona. And so beautiful too, both inside and outside. He had even begun to wonder how they'd live together after all of this was over. And yet...

"I'm sorry, Riya. I can't do it." He opened his eyes again and closed his backpack's zipper. He then hung it on his shoulder.

"Oh, Andy. You're making such a big mistake..."

"Maybe so. But I'm only human. I've never been that strong."

"Where will you go?" She asked in concern.

"I think I'll go meet up with my mentor, Dr. Katagiri. I don't know. At the very least I need some time to myself."

He began walking away, then stopped, halfway turning to look at Riya. "Riya, take care of her."

"And you be careful. Don't forget you'll always be my friend." She clasped her hands in prayer in front of her chest, as if protecting it from the sadness that was invading her.

He simply nodded, and left.

* * *

Louise sat on her chamber's bed, her elbows resting on her knees, her stare rooted to the floor. Litchi rested on her lap, its eyes blinking slowly on and off, which indicated that it was refreshing its RAM by cleaning it of unused processes. So in a manner of speaking, as Riya had explained back then, it was sleeping. She was deep in thought, finding some manner of solace on her companion's "breathing".

_'Am I doing the right thing?'_ Louise thought._ 'Is this what I'm supposed to do?'_. Second guessing and a pang of regret made their rounds inside her head, now that her feelings had cooled off. And while she still desired retribution deep down inside, she couldn't quite feel it. She wouldn't be able to raise her weapon easily against Nena. And she'd be completely incapable to do the same against Soma.

_'Will Celestial Being end me, then?'_ She guessed that maybe Kati had let them know, but she was only close to Saji, and he wasn't in charge of the others. Maybe Setsuna would spare her as a result, but the other three would most likely find it easier to destroy her. And even though her new mobile suit was so...strong, it just didn't work with her fighting style. She would be fighting with a powerful, gigantic blade when she was used to fencing.

She hugged the spherical robot and rested her chin on top of it, to which Litchi slightly altered its blinking eyes frequency, then again fell on its 'sleep mode'. She then rolled her head a bit to the side and looked at her new pilot suit. _'So white'_, she noticed, abandoning for a moment the train of thought that was dragging her down.

She thought of Saji again, and felt slightly guilty from not really thinking about him that much anymore. Instead of a lover, now she thought of him as a dear friend. Unbidden they came, thoughts of where her heart most likely leaned towards now. She shook her head.

'_I don't want to fight you.'_ She realized, yet the loss of her family still tainted her soul. The ashes of that day had painted more than her skin. And even though the ash had fallen fast from rinsing her body, the murk inside just wouldn't fall.

_'I must fight you.'_ She knew, and the imperfect determination carried her. Her human condition knew that she'd never let go unless she fought. A way of therapy using the conflict that held the world in check. Such a terrible person she was. Mankind stood at the edge of living under a tyrant's grasp yet she still wanted to diminish the rate of success of those that would stand against him even further. Would history remember her as the accursed woman who went on her fool's errand? Would Ribbons win and write of her as the one human who saw the light?

Did it matter?

She took a deep breath, and the day's exhaustion finally won.

* * *

"Does it hurt?" Riya asked Nena, being very careful not to rip the bandage off suddenly.

"Ow..." Nena replied, once a sharp sting informed herself of the situation.

"That'd be a yes." Riya quipped. "At least the swelling went down quite a bit. You should be fine soon enough."

"Ugh, Lou hits so hard...a little bit more strength and she would've broken my jaw."

"I can tell. Now stay still while I put another bandage on you."

"Thanks Riya." Nena said after a little while, in a way that meant more than just the bandage.

"Anytime, honey." Was Riya's simple, but knowing reply.

As she worked, Soma approached the two women. "Anew should be done soon with the quick improvements on our suits. After that we're moving out. Are you guys ready?"

"Aaaand, there." Riya gave a very soft pat to Nena's bandage on purpose, which earned her a loud 'OW!' "Oh, you're such a baby."

"It heeertz!" Nena complained like a little girl, acting as if they weren't going to soon fight one of their dearest friends in space. "But man, not needing to sleep really lets one get stuff done, huh?"

"Two hours per machine isn't that tiring, to be fair." Anew contributed when she reached the other three. "Besides, Miss Bhandari's notes on the suits are very thorough."

"Mister Regetta helped make them." Riya smiled at her deceased friend's sister.

"As expected of Big Brother." She crossed her arms and puffed her chest in pride, with her eyes closed and a smirk, which earned her a chuckle from Nena and Riya, and a smile from Soma. "Well then, allow me to clean the oil off of me while they load the machines and I'll be ready to depart. Excuse me."

"Alright, see ya in a bit." Nena nodded to the Innovade girl and stood up from the chair where she was sitting, stretching her back a bit. "Ok guys, let's get to our positions. We have a world and a friend to save."

"Right!" Riya closed her fists in front of her with determination.

"We will not fail." Soma declared, then Kati's voice was heard over the base's communications system.

"Everyone, board the 'Urdbrunner' as planned. We're departing in an hour. Norns, meet me at the bridge as soon as possible."

"Alright, you heard the lady. Let's go!" Nena started running towards their battleship's entrance, closely followed by Soma and Riya. "Think Anew will show up in a bathtowel or something?" She joked as they ran.

"Truly, the things you come up with, Nena..." Soma shook her head at the redhead while Riya chuckled.

* * *

And so we reach this chapter's end. I have to say this was the most emotionally charged piece of fiction i've written so far, so much that I fear I might have just felt more than what I managed to convey. I can only hope a little bit of it reached you. I also wanted to end it in a slightly lighter mood because stuff just gets worse from here on out. Or maybe it'll get a better for Nenners, who knows? In any case, thank you all for reading, once again. Thanks for all the new favorites, the new readers and the reviews you sometimes leave me. I'll be seeing you next time!


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